


The Dawn Of Eternal Devotion

by pure_shores



Category: Crankiplier - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Altered Mental States, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - No Girlfriends/No Wives, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Anal Sex, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Blood Drinking, Blowjobs, Character Development, Cohabitation, Conflict Resolution, Consensual Sex, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Sexual Content, Feeding, First Meetings, Flirting, Gay Sex, Heavy Angst, Human/Vampire Relationship, Human/Vampire Sex, Internal Conflict, Internal Monologue, M/M, Masturbation, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Mention of Stalking, Mild Blood, Minor Original Character(s), Mood Swings, No Beta, Panic Attacks, Propositions, Seduction, Separation Anxiety, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, TW: Knives, Therapy, Top!Mark, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Unintentional flirting, Vampire Bites, Vampire Feeding, Vampire Science, Vampire Sex, bottom!ethan, crankiplier - Freeform, handjobs, human!ethan, let's get cooking, lowkey flirting, talking things through, unhealthy thoughts, vampire biology, vampire blowjobs, vampire lore, vampire stalking, vampire!Mark, very intentional flirting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:34:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 68,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24540886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pure_shores/pseuds/pure_shores
Summary: In a world where humans and vampires are moving ever closer towards living in harmony, Ethan signs up to a vampire government programme which aims to form partnerships between humans and vampires - these partnerships ensure that the vampire involved regularly feeds from only that particular human at regular intervals. In return, the human gets paid a handsome salary in exchange for the precious gift of their lifeblood. And Ethan really needs that money to be able to survive in LA...
Relationships: Mark Fischbach/Ethan Nestor
Comments: 302
Kudos: 584





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey!  
> For any of you that may have read ASIWALS or any of that series (which I haven't forgotten about), this is gonna be a liiittle bit heavier. There will be fluff, I assure you, but plenty of angst, drama, suspense, etc mixed in. Also I'm not 100% certain about the name of this fic or the summary... what do you all think?  
> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are actually in very real relationships with their girlfriends so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

“Ah, Mr Nestor, thank you for being so prompt in your arrival,” spoke a dark haired woman who’d opened the office door that the guy at reception had directed him to. Ethan nodded, then gave a small smile and walked into the room when she stepped aside to let him in. He didn’t have to look at her twice to notice the obvious signs of her species - pale skin, sharp, angular facial features, a flash of pointed, sharp canine teeth when she spoke… It was stupid to think that anyone working here  _ wasn’t _ a vampire. This  _ was _ the Los Angeles Vampire Embassy after all, it was the one place that you were guaranteed to come across them within the city.  _ Not _ that they were that difficult to find nowadays. He thought to himself about how discriminatory but also laughable humans had been in centuries gone by, remembering his history lessons in school - vampires had been so feared and hated that they’d almost disappeared off of the face of the Earth and early records of them were even thought of as myths or incredibly inaccurate. The one that always made Ethan giggle was the fact that in some cultures people thought that vampires had to be invited into a building in order to be able to enter it.  _ Weird _ , right? Pulled away from his distracted thoughts, the woman’s voice caught his attention. She sounded amused, she’d probably been watching him space out into his own mind. “My name is Alyssa Mason and I’ll be the vampire facilitator for your assessment today. And this is my colleague, human facilitator, Beth Finch.” Ethan blinked, not having even registered another person in the room, having been too deep in his own thoughts. It was kinda dangerous how much his head was in the clouds, but he’d not been in any trouble so far and he was still alive, wasn’t he? 

He watched as a petite, slender woman got up from her seat behind the desk across the room and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mr Nestor,” she said warmly, a reassuring smile on her face, though it was hardly necessary since he wasn’t exactly nervous. It didn’t bother him to be on his own with a vampire, as much as his parents had always taught him to be just a little cautious. That was probably going to be his downfall one day too - it didn’t make for a good combination, being constantly in a day dream whilst also nonchalant about the presence of a vampire within his surroundings. Ethan’s gaze flitted across Beth’s face, noting the differences in hers and Alyssa’s features. Beth, being human, had pink tones beneath her California tan and her face wasn’t defined by an angular jaw or cheekbones - also, the lack of dangerous canine teeth was obvious.

With another small smile he reached out his hand to shake hers, “You can call me Ethan, it’s fine.” Beth nodded and, when he let go of her hand, he turned to Alyssa, holding his hand out to her too, “Nice to meet you both.”

Alyssa still looked like she was silently laughing at his behaviour, but she grasped his hand and shook it firmly. “Likewise. Now, if you’d like to take a seat, we’re just waiting for your potential partner to arrive. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, they’re not usually late for these kinds of meetings - far too important, as I’m sure you’ll understand.”

Ethan moved to sit on the sofa that was on the opposite side of the desk to where Beth had been sitting before she’d introduced herself and he got himself comfortable. At Alyssa’s remark he’d laughed, “I can imagine. Having a regular person to take blood from must be something every vampire wants, right?”

Alyssa gave a modest shrug, nodding as she stepped towards the door again and had a look outside for the vampire that was supposed to be joining them. “It’s favourable, yes,” she said honestly, “Others believe it’s exciting to vary the source of blood every so often - different physical reactions, different blood types… it’s all dependent on the vampire.”

“Oh yeah, sure,” Ethan answered, though he hadn’t considered that before… but it made sense. Kinda like how some people weren’t into monogamous relationships. He watched as Beth moved over to a cart across the room that held a few basic medical tools, beginning to sort through them. There wasn’t anything for major surgery, it was just going to be for him once he’d been bitten, in order to clean up the wound and make sure it healed properly.

As she sensed him watching her, Beth glanced over and gave a knowing smile, “You’re in safe hands, Ethan.”

He nodded and stretched an arm across the back of the couch, “I know. Have you been working in this department for long?”

As she picked up some sanitiser spray and began to wipe down the cart and all of the tools, she hummed softly, “Just over a year personally. Alyssa has been doing this since the beginning, she’s an advocate for the partnership programme.”

At the mention of the vampire, Ethan turned his head to look at her once more and he saw that she straightened up, absent-mindedly brushing non-existent debris from her trousers. “Mr Fischbach,” she greeted someone out in the corridor, lips pulling up into a polite and well-practiced smile, “My name’s Alyssa Mason, thank you for joining us. Mr Nestor is already here so won’t you come in?” When she stepped aside, Ethan kept his gaze trained on the door as his potential vampire partner walked into the room. His stomach dropped when he saw the guy - firstly, he was  _ hot _ . He looked about the same height as him, give or take an inch or two, with dark, tousled hair and  _ god _ , he was toned as hell. Ethan swallowed and stood, watching the vampire’s dark eyes follow his movements - his irises weren’t red, which was a good sign, meaning that he was safe from being accidentally drained to death.

As he approached, Ethan lifted his hand and held it out, lips stretching into a genuine smile, “Hey, I’m Ethan, nice to meet you.”

“Hi,” said the vampire slowly, reaching his own hand out and grasping Ethan’s, giving it a solid shake, “Nice to meet you too. I’m Mark.” Ethan could only lament further at the fact that even this guy’s  _ voice _ was beautiful - it had a low baritone and reverberated deep in his chest as he spoke.

Just as soon as they’d shaken hands, Mark pulled his hand away and Ethan nodded, going to sit back on the sofa again. He patted the space beside him, wondering at just how he was managing to be this confident and forward. “C’mon, let’s get this show on the road, shall we?” he encouraged, watching as Mark blinked before walking over and sitting next to him on the sofa. 

Apparently pleased that this had progressed without her encouragement, Alyssa closed the door, then went to lean against the desk, arms folded across her chest as she surveyed the both of them. “Mr Fischbach, our human facilitator for this meeting is Beth Finch,” she said, gesturing to the woman across the room who waved and smiled warmly at him. “Do we have any questions before we begin the assessment or shall we get right into it?”

Ethan immediately shook his head no - he was more than happy with what was going to transpire throughout the procedure and it wasn’t his first time taking part in one like this either. “I’m all good,” he spoke up before turning to glance at Mark who also shook his head. He didn’t seem like much of a talker, but that was okay. They weren’t here to make friends, this was a mutually-beneficial agreement between human and vampire that would be bound by a contract. That is, so long as Mark found his blood agreeable. That’s what the whole point of this assessment was - Mark would bite him, get a taste for his blood, then decide whether he wanted Ethan as his regular source of feeding. If that was the case, they’d both arrange a regular time and place for them to meet so that Mark could feed from him, then sign the contract. How did humans benefit out of this arrangement? Well, the Vampire Council paid a pretty good wage to humans who entered into such a contract for as long as the contract lasted. That’s why Ethan was so eager to find a match - he needed the money. So far, his two jobs at a bar and coffee place were only just allowing him to keep his head above water and afford rent on a shitty apartment that he shared with two other people. He’d moved to LA on a whim, his dreams getting the better of his logical brain - turns out that it was harder to make it into the film & tv industry than he’d thought.

Once again, Alyssa broke his train of thought as she spoke up, “Excellent. Okay, Mr Fischbach, as per this procedure you must only take blood from Mr Nestor’s jugular. You must drink for no longer than five seconds - if you do, we have the right to tase and restrain you in order to forcefully remove you from the situation. Is this agreeable to everyone involved?”

Ethan nodded and from beside him Mark spoke softly, “I’m sure I won’t need that long anyway.” As if sensing Ethan’s curiosity at those words he looked sideways at him, offering a small smile, “I have a distinct palette and you could say… a picky taste.”

Before Ethan could say anything in response Alyssa spoke again as Beth wheeled over the cart with medical tools on it, “Then let’s get started. Beth, if you’d be so kind as to administer the anaesthetic to Mr Nestor…”

“Hey honey,” Beth cooed as she walked over, beginning to inject the local aesthetic into him via a cannula. He sat back and relaxed as slowly it began to set in, with Beth watching over him, knelt at his side on the floor. After a few minutes she gave a hopeful smile, “You doing okay, Ethan?”

“Yeah, all good,” he mumbled, his head feeling a little dizzy and his body slightly heavier than usual but aside from that he had no major side effects.

“Great, so Mark, if you go ahead whenever you’re ready, I’ll count down the five seconds when you start,” Alyssa spoke once more, holding up a timer in her hand.

Ethan felt the couch dip right next to him where Mark slid across the cushions and settled into place in this closer position. He also felt the vampire’s hands, one on his shoulder, the other on his waist. “This alright?” he whispered, close to Ethan’s ear, and he nodded in response. “Okay, I’m going in for it now,” he warned, his breath ghosting across his skin before a pain, not unlike that of the cannula being inserted into his vein, bloomed at two points not far from each other at his neck. With a sigh, he closed his eyes, not yet used to the feeling of his blood being sucked out of his body despite having done this a few times already - it wasn’t bad, just  _ weird. _ However, before he even knew what had happened, the slight pain was gone and the couch shifted beside him, Mark obviously moving back to give him space. Opening his eyes, he saw Beth move off her knees and lean up, an alcohol-free sterile wipe in her hand which she gently began to smooth over the wound on his neck. 

Wincing just a little, Ethan sat up when Beth moved to grab a sterile dressing, wanting to look at Mark to gauge his reaction but knowing he shouldn’t just in case he upset the wound and interrupted the process of cleaning it. As she began to cover the puncture wounds with the dressing, Ethan spoke, “So? Is it okay for you?”

His question was clearly aimed at Mark even though he couldn’t actually look at him right now. There was a long pause before the vampire spoke up, “Yes. I-I mean yeah. It was great. Thank you.”

“Am I to take that as confirmation that you’d like to sign the contract?” Alyssa encouraged, moving around to the other side of the desk and taking a pen out of her pen pot.

“Yes,” Mark said instantly, to which Ethan sagged with relief -  _ finally _ he was going to be able to afford to move into a place of his own that didn’t have mould lining the ceiling. He felt the sofa shift again and from his line of vision he watched Mark walk over to the desk, accepting a pen from Alyssa and signing the contract that she slid across the wooden surface towards him. The vampire turned and came to kneel in front of Ethan, just as Beth moved away, letting them know that his wound was clean and covered. “Thank you for letting me have a taste, Ethan,” said the vampire, his eyes boring into his own and he swallowed hard, all of a sudden feeling hot under the collar, “But there’s still a chance for you to back out now if you’ve changed your mind.”

That was rather sweet, Ethan had to admit - the few times he’d tried this before, the vampires had been polite enough, but always pretty impatient and just wanting to get a taste of his blood. And  _ none _ of them had ever thanked him for taking part in the assessment. “No, it’s fine, I’m still down,” he answered, giving a small smile and lifting a hand to give a thumbs up.

Mark’s face lit up with a beaming smile for the first time since he’d walked into the room and Ethan wished that the vampire was just, like, 10% less attractive just so that his belly didn’t erupt with butterflies during the experience. “Thank you, Ethan. I’ll always be gentle with you, I promise.”

Ethan actually managed a laugh at that and he stood up, noticing that Mark held a hand up as if to steady him but moved back, as if he was respecting Ethan’s personal space. For that, he was grateful. As he moved to the desk, Mark stood up and came to stand beside him, a hand still held out, ever ready to help if Ethan so much as swayed a little. The anaesthetic wasn’t  _ that _ strong, it just meant he had to move a little slower than usual. Alyssa offered him a smile as she watched him pick up the pen that Mark had just used and signed his name in the blank space next to Mark’s. When it was done he handed her back the contract and pen and she tore off their copies, handing them over to the both of them. Ethan thanked her and moved to slide the piece of paper into a folder in his backpack which was hanging on a peg beside the door. After zipping it back up, he turned to hear Alyssa addressing them. “Thank you both for coming today and becoming part of history. I’ve been part of this programme from the very beginning and to see so many humans and vampires forming partnerships makes me hopeful for a cohesive future together. Now, we’ll leave it up to you two to figure out a schedule for feedings, but when you do we’ll need written confirmation from you both to go along with the initial contract so we’ll see you both back here tomorrow. Same time, same place. Any other questions?” Ethan shook his head, grabbing his backpack off its hook and sliding it over his shoulders. He glanced at Mark who also shook his head, which Alyssa smiled at, “Perfect. Now, you’re both free to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you both for your help,” Ethan beamed at her, then at Beth, “It was great to meet you. See you later!” He was about to head on out of the room when he felt a hand gently take hold of his wrist, but with enough purpose to have him pausing in his movements.

As he glanced down to see that it was Mark who’d stopped him from leaving, the vampire’s voice was heard. “I’m grateful to both of you for enabling us to form this partnership,” he said smoothly, “You’ll eternally have my thanks. Good day and we’ll see you tomorrow.” Ethan looked up to see him smile charmingly before nodding at him, “Let’s go, shall we?” Mildly confused as to why Mark had a hold of his wrist, Ethan nodded and opened the door, heading out into the hallway. 

When the door closed behind them, he turned to look at the vampire, “Any reason why you stopped me leaving?” He didn’t point out the fact that Mark was still holding onto his wrist, but he must have gotten the hint to stop because he let go, his fingertips just barely skimming the sensitive skin there as they moved away.

“I’m not  _ rude _ , I didn’t just wanna take a bite and then bolt,” Mark laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and Ethan internally cursed at how cute his laugh was. “Plus, I thought I could maybe walk you to wherever you’re headed and we can talk about our arrangement. I’ve got no way of contacting you so we need to talk about that at least before tomorrow.”

Ethan snorted but he couldn’t find it in himself to turn the offer down - there was nothing saying he couldn’t take a walk with his new vampire acquaintance and have a chat about when he could next suck his blood. Besides, it was kinda scatterbrained of him to leave without discussing that with Mark - he guessed it was because he’d never had a vampire agree to sign the contract before so all of this was new to him. “Sure,” he conceded, shrugging lightly and then began walking down the hallway towards the stairwell, Mark keeping pace as he headed to the lower floor, “I’ve got a shift tonight so I gotta get back to my apartment, do some laundry, maybe take a nap…”

“Where do you work?” Mark asked casually, his gaze landing on Ethan every so often - he had a look of curiosity about him and it had Ethan wondering whether he spent much time with humans at all or if all his friends were vampires.

“Uh, well tonight I’m bartending at Reflex,” he answered, glancing at Mark as they headed for the front doors and out into the midday sunshine.

“Oh, that’s in the Arts District, right? I’ve seen the place a few times,” Mark nodded his recognition, “I’m gonna hazard a guess that it’s not your dream job though…”

“How could you tell?” Ethan couldn’t help but tease, smirking at the vampire, “Is it something to do with the fact that I’ve just signed a contract willingly selling myself to a vampire?” He thought for a second that his words had offended Mark because he was quiet for a few moments, but then he stopped walking and tipped his head back in a laugh. Ethan stopped in his tracks too, watching the vampire crumple in a fit of giggles. He couldn’t help but grin at the sight, placing his hands on his hips. “Hey, maybe I’ll make it big as a comedian if the bartending thing doesn’t work out.”

“ _ God _ , I’m sorry,” Mark hiccuped, a grin still on his face as he began walking again, Ethan following, “That was just… so good.” After another moment he cleared his throat, “So what is it that you really wanna do with your life?”

“Well,” Ethan laughed self-consciously, “I’m really into camerawork and editing. When I moved out here I had these wild dreams about being behind the scenes of the next biggest movies and tv shows, ya know? Turns out you need more than enthusiasm and a fair amount of skill and technical knowledge to make it.”

“I’m sorry,” Mark responded, and when Ethan looked at him his face seemed genuine, “But you shouldn’t let a few setbacks stop you. You never know what life’s gonna throw at you. Hell, five years ago I had no idea that I was gonna be laying in a hospital bed on the verge of death only to be saved by a vampire nurse. What are the odds, huh?”

Ethan blinked as he stared at Mark, unsure as to why he’d been entrusted with one of his most private memories. “You were turned in order to save your life?” he said quietly, not wanting the whole street to know their conversation.

Mark nodded, throwing him a small smile, “You bet. I won’t bore you with the details, but my point stands - you just gotta stay true to what you believe, what makes you happy, and life might surprise you.”

“Huh,” quipped Ethan, looking up at the sky and taking a deep breath, “You’re pretty chipper for someone that’s been cursed with living forever.” After a moment he cringed and looked at Mark apologetically, “Sorry, that was insensitive.”

“Don’t be,” Mark shrugged and gave him a reassuring laugh, “It’s refreshing to have someone else’s opinion. Most humans I’ve ever met think eternal life is a blessing, usually because they’re scared of what comes after death. But  _ you _ , apparently, are quite the opposite.”

“Yeah, well it’s always sounded pretty sad to me,” Ethan said quietly, holding onto the straps of his backpack as he walked, “Living forever, watching everyone around you come and go… like, don’t you think you’ll go mad after so long?”

“No idea,” Mark laughed again, more genuinely this time, “Maybe ask me again in a century and we’ll see.”

“Well, I won’t be around to ask but I’ll pass it down in my will for my next of kin to find you, how about that?” Ethan smiled wryly.

Mark seemed to take that in for a few moments, his face becoming guarded as he fell back into his own mind. Just before Ethan was going to nudge him to break him out of his reverie, he nodded slowly, “Yeah, I guess that’s the only way you’d be able to do it…”

“Dude, are you okay? I didn’t hit a sore spot, did I?” Ethan asked quietly. Though they were nowhere near friends at this point, they did have to meet with each other on a regular basis and Mark would be sticking his teeth in him, so he didn’t want to upset him.

“You’re fine,” Mark reassured immediately, nodding, “I just… don’t hang out with many humans anymore but any time I do I’m reminded that someday they’ll grow old and die, and I won’t. Maybe you’ve got a point with the way you view our existence.” He laughed, but it was devoid of humour and Ethan knew he was just trying to keep the mood light amidst such a morbid subject.

“Hey, Mark?” Ethan nudged his arm gently with his elbow, “It’ll be okay. I guess all you can do is take it one day at a time. The first few times that you lose people will probably be bad, but I’m sure you’ll figure out a way to deal with them as they happen. Right?” He rubbed the back of his neck, knowing he was pretty bad at this kinda talk and was probably just making him feel worse.

“You’re right,” Mark said, touching his shoulder lightly, “Thanks, Ethan. I don’t mean to drop all of my troubles on you.”

Ethan offered him a warm smile, “It’s all good. Makes me feel more comfortable around you that we can share stuff like this, ya know?”

“Me too,” Mark nodded his agreement and smiled to himself, turning his head to look ahead at the path before them.

Within a few more minutes Ethan let him know they were at his apartment and they stopped at the foot of the stairs leading up to the building. He lifted a hand and ruffled it through his hair somewhat self-consciously. There was no hiding the state of the apartment’s dilapidation and he avoided Mark’s gaze, wondering if there would be any judgement there. “Uh, you can come in for coffee whilst I do laundry if you want, we can talk about when you wanna meet up, but I’m warning you it’s not much better looking on the inside...”

“Only if you don’t mind me imposing,” Mark responded, and Ethan took his chances, looking at him and seeing nothing more than a polite, yet hopeful smile there.

“It’s not imposing, dude, I just offered,” Ethan laughed before heading up the steps and taking his keys out of his pocket. Unlocking the door, he stepped aside to let Mark in first, then locked the door behind them. “Here, follow me,” he murmured, moving past Mark who loitered in the entryway glancing around curiously, and he walked past the staircase on the right further back into the building through a door. It was a fairly big space that served as a kitchen, dining and laundry room all in one and, after dropping his backpack on the table he moved to open the back door to let some air in. “You can sit down if you want,” Ethan offered, gesturing to the dining table before shuffling over to the coffee pot and beginning to brew some for Mark. He saw the vampire perch on one of the dining chairs out of the corner of his eye, all the while openly looking around the place as he moved. He wondered what Mark thought of his living arrangements, but didn’t want to bring it up with him - he probably had a fancy house all to himself. 

When he set a cup of coffee as well as cream and sugar down on the table in front of him, Mark glanced up in curiosity, “You aren’t having any?”

“Nah, I’m gonna have a nap before I go to work later so caffeine isn’t the best idea right now,” Ethan laughed, then moved to open the washing machine and shove a pile of clothes inside, “Anyway, did you have any ideas as to how often you want to feed, any particular day during the week…?”

“From past experience, I’m usually good with feeding like once a week so long as it’s a fair amount,” Mark said as he added a spoonful of sugar to his coffee then blew on it, “I’m not picky about which day of the week though. I’m happy to work around your schedule, mine’s pretty flexible.”

“Sure,” Ethan acknowledged, pouring laundry conditioner into the machine and then starting it on its cycle. He poured himself a glass of orange juice and then sat opposite Mark at the table, “Maybe sometime early or midweek would be good for me. I’m always working both jobs at the weekend so I don’t usually have time then.”

“ _ Both _ jobs?” Mark inquired, pausing whilst in the middle of lifting his cup to his lips.

“Oh, yeah, I work as a barista too,” Ethan nodded, “As awful as it looks, I need both to pay for this place.” He gave a shrug, not wanting to appear as if he was looking for pity. Besides, he’d be getting paid pretty well now they were partners so there was nothing to feel sorry for.

“I see,” Mark said slowly before taking a long sip of his coffee. After taking his time tasting the rich liquid, he swallowed. “That’s why you signed up for the partnership programme, I’m assuming?”

“Yup,” Ethan nodded and took a sip of his orange juice, then licked his lips. He didn’t really want to go too into detail about it, slightly embarrassed because he was still convinced that Mark was fairly well off. “So, any day Monday through Thursday is good for me. I work early mornings til evening during weekdays so later in the day would be better for me if that’s alright with you.”

“Yeah, no problem,” Mark gave him a smile, “That works for me.” He took another swig of coffee, then fixed Ethan with a curious look, “If you liked, I could even make you dinner afterwards, to repay the favour.” He must have seen Ethan’s eyebrows shoot up because he quickly covered himself, “I wouldn’t want you going home lightheaded and faint after I’ve just fed a considerable amount from you. It wouldn’t seem fair to me.”

“Dude, it’s fine, I’ll just bring snacks with me,” Ethan laughed, shaking his head, “There’s always pastries and stuff left over at the cafe at the end of the day. Plus, you don’t need to repay me, I’m getting a salary from this.”

He watched Mark’s eyes narrow and a soft hum vibrated in the vampire’s chest before he slowly nodded, “If that’s what you want.” As if suddenly remembering something, he pulled out a phone from his pocket and gestured to Ethan with it, “Let’s swap numbers so we can contact each other just in case our plans change, yeah?”

“Oh yeah, great idea,” Ethan pulled out his phone too and opened up his contacts, pulling up the entry for a new contact. When Mark told him his number he entered it, then put in Mark’s name next to an emoji of a drop of blood. It was the little things that always made him laugh. After saving it he told the vampire his number too and Mark phoned him just to make sure they’d entered them right. His name flashed up on his phone screen and he grinned, “Perfect. I’ll give you plenty of notice if I ever have to change plans. So… which day d’you wanna do?”

“How about Thursdays? Around 7pm?” Mark asked after a moment’s thought, “Middle of the week, means you can refresh after your busy weekend and not worry about an impending feed.”

“Sounds good to me,” Ethan nodded, putting his phone back in his pocket and watching Mark do the same. “The cafe shuts at 5:30 so that gives me time to close up. I’m guessing you’ll want me to come to yours?”

“Yeah, I’ll text you the address so you don’t forget,” Mark smiled, “I have a dog and she loves humans so I’m sure you’ll enjoy meeting her.”

“You have a dog? Gee, I have the best luck entering into a contract with  _ you _ ,” Ethan teased with a grin, to which Mark shook his head and chuckled. As if on cue, Ethan stifled a yawn behind his hand and he made a face, “Sorry, it’s not you. I’m constantly catching up on sleep.”

Immediately Mark stood from the table and finished his coffee before moving to set the cup in the sink across the room. “In that case, I’ll leave you be. Get plenty of rest before your shift tonight. How long are you on til?”

“Mmm, about 1ish,” Ethan stretched his arms above his head. “Mondays aren’t too bad, but I don’t do weekdays often because I try to give myself a  _ bit _ of a break. Only doing this shift today because I had to take a day off at the cafe for our meeting. Fridays and Saturdays are the worst, they’re open til 4 in the morning and people never seem to want to go home.” He giggled and stood, walking with Mark to the front door.

He saw Mark cringe, no doubt in response to hearing about how many hours he worked. “Please don’t work yourself to death,” he said softly, “And I’m not saying that just because I’m feeding from you now. You should take care of yourself.”

“I will, don’t worry,” Ethan said with a smile, touched that Mark was kind enough to care, for whatever reason that was, “I’ll see you on Thursday at 7.”

“I’ll text you my address,” Mark nodded, gently touching his shoulder before he headed out the door, “See you later, Ethan.”

“Bye, Mark,” Ethan called as the vampire walked down the steps and then headed along the street and eventually out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are actually in very real relationships with their girlfriends so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy x

“Thank you, have a good day!” Ethan called to the Uber driver who’d dropped him off a couple blocks away from Mark’s house. After getting a goodbye in return, he closed the car door and turned away to load up google maps on his phone. It had been a request from his new vampire partner that he not take the Uber directly to his home - he’d said he would explain why when they were in person. And so, he typed in Mark’s address into the destination box and watched as the journey was mapped out on his screen. He sent a text to the vampire letting him know that he was two blocks away before making the journey, following the directions on his phone. As he looked around, he thought to himself that the neighbourhood seemed nice, the houses were big and it confirmed his own suspicions that Mark was well off in terms of money. Within five minutes his phone alerted him that he’d arrived at his destination and he glanced up, eyes narrowing to check for a door number on the postbox nearest to him. Though before he even had a chance to confirm it was the correct one, he heard his name being called from the front door of the house he was stood in front of. Looking up, he saw Mark in the doorway, beckoning him closer with his hand. 

Giving a smile, Ethan pocketed his phone and then headed up the path, giving a little wave. “Hey,” he greeted, “How’re you?”

“Hey,” Mark responded, offering a smile of his own, and now he was closer up Ethan noted that Mark’s dark irises were flecked with faint red tones - an obvious sign that he was thirsty. Not dangerously so, otherwise it was unlikely that he’d have made it down the path without being tackled to the ground and teeth plunged into his neck without warning. Even so, Ethan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the thought of Mark, clearly thirsty for blood, with the knowledge that he would be feeding from Ethan, being stood only a few feet away from him. It was like his instincts were telling him - not that it was  _ obvious _ or anything - that his one and only natural predator was nearby and he needed to decide if he wanted to run and try to survive or lay down and be prepared to die. Well, he wasn’t going to die, but for the purposes of the metaphor he  _ was _ technically going to lay down before said predator and offer himself up. Again,  _ metaphorically  _ speaking. Suppressing a shiver enough so that Mark hopefully wouldn’t notice it shaking through his body, Ethan nodded in thanks as the vampire stepped aside to let him into the house. “I’m good, thanks for asking.” Mark continued the greetings, “How are you? Good day at work? Oh, you can put your shoes there if you wanna take ‘em off. Your choice.” As he spoke, he gestured to a shoe rack just inside the door and Ethan slid off his beat up vans, putting them neatly beside the rack since it was pretty full already.

“Work was okay,” Ethan responded in turn, and he followed Mark further into the house as he gestured for him to do so. He couldn’t help but peer around curiously as he walked, taking in the little details like the dog bed in the corner - speaking of, where was said doggo? - and the multitude of video games stacked beside the tv. From the titles he could make out, Mark for sure had good taste… “Typical day really, nothing special. Oh, except I had a Karen complain at me that her muffin had too many seeds in it.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes at the memory of her ‘I need to speak to the manager’ spiel which earned her his response of ‘I’m the acting manager on duty today’, to which her face had fallen. That had been compensation enough for the shit he’d received from her.

“Geez, you sure ruined her day, man,” Mark replied, glancing over at Ethan and chuckling.

Despite the laughter, Ethan felt another chill shoot up his spine at the sight of those red-stained eyes, along with the flash of sharp teeth when he opened his mouth… He didn’t know why he was having such a strong reaction, he’d never been bothered by vampires before -  _ but _ , the logical voice in his brain supplied,  _ you’ve never been around a thirsty one, have you? _ And he guessed that made sense… maybe he’d be less on edge next week, when he’d had some time to acclimatise to the natural responses his instincts brought about in him. Perhaps with time, he’d be able to keep them in check and calm them a little. Who knows, if he even came to trust Mark (more than trusting him not to eat him when he drank from him) then his instincts might stop flaring up around him when he was thirsty like this.

“Everything okay?” The deep tones of Mark’s voice interrupted his internal monologue and Ethan glanced up to see the vampire about to open a sliding glass patio door - but his attention zoned in on the  _ beautiful _ creature beyond the door, tail wagging and golden fur shining in the waning LA sunlight.

“Yeah, sorry,” Ethan laughed before walking closer to Mark and crouching on the balls of his feet, pressing a hand up against the glass door as the dog in the garden wagged its tail harder. “Who is this good doggo?” he cooed, hoping his voice carried through the glass, and apparently it was a yes because he got a soft bark in response.

“This is Chica,” Mark answered, and Ethan tipped his head up to look at him from the angle he’d situated himself in. Seemed like there was a hint of amusement in his gaze, but when he looked at the dog all Ethan saw was love in his eyes. “She’s the best girl,” the vampire said softly, then jiggled the handle on the door, “You wanna meet her properly?”

“Obviously!” Ethan laughed, looking at Mark like he’d never heard a more stupid question. With a nod, Mark slid the door open wide and Chica immediately rushed in and descended upon Ethan. She buried her face under his arm and he was taken by surprise, knocked off his feet and ending up on his backside. Taking that to her advantage, Chica began licking at his face and Ethan giggled, stroking his hands through her soft fur and scratching her ears. “Ooh, what a good girl,” he cooed, which only had her nuzzling at him with more enthusiasm and he glanced up to see Mark watching them, a smile on his face. “Since her name’s Chica, you wouldn’t happen to be a fan of Five Nights At Freddy’s I wonder?” Ethan asked the vampire, and instantly knew he was right when his smile grew into a grin.

“Guilty,” Mark chuckled, holding his hands up, “I didn’t name her Chica for that reason, but it is funny that I love the game so much and, yeah, the name just came to me when I got her, so it stuck.” He gave a shrug and bent down to ruffle the fur at the back of her neck. “Told you she loves humans,” he reminded, referencing their conversation a few days back.

“Clearly,” Ethan giggled, enjoying the dog kisses all over his face. Although after a few moments it occurred to him that he wasn’t here just for pleasure, like he would be if he was visiting a friend back in Maine - he’d come here for a distinct reason, as part of the contract that he and Mark had signed. It was kinda weird that this was all so casual, that the vampire hadn’t just wanted to get it over with as soon as he arrived. But in a way, he was grateful for it because he felt a little more comfortable now that he could see that things in Mark’s house were just like a normal house and that really there was nothing to be worried about. Plus, he had a  _ dog _ \- it wasn’t like someone could be a psycho creep if they had a dog, right? Well, that was the deciding factor in Ethan’s mind anyway. Clearing his throat deliberately, Ethan withdrew from Chica’s furry clutches and stood, looking at Mark instead. “Did you, um… ya know? Wanna start?” At those words, he saw the vampire’s jaw twitch and his shoulders straighten up. Did just the mention of feeding make Mark all jittery like this when he was thirsty?

“If you’d like to, we can,” Mark said after a few moments, avoiding Ethan’s gaze as he moved through to the kitchen, “But would you like a drink first, or a snack? It’s no hurry.”

“I’m good,” Ethan answered honestly, “I’m ready whenever you are. Where do you want me to…?”

“The sofa’s fine, if that’s comfortable for you,” Mark replied, gesturing to it still without looking in Ethan’s direction, “Just… don’t walk too fast, okay?”

That had Ethan pausing, and he frowned as he watched the vampire pulling out cleaning substances from a drawer - obviously for him after he’d been bitten. “Mark, are you alright? You’re acting weird all of a sudden.” Not that he even knew the guy, they were still barely more than acquaintances, but the time that they’d spent together so far had given him something of an idea as to Mark’s behaviours.

“Yeah, I’m fine, just… even us seasoned pros have to be careful when we’re about to feed,” Mark gave a humourless laugh, “I’m more than in control of myself, but I just like to be extremely cautious. If you were to move just a fraction too fast then my biological instincts might kick in and perceive you as prey to be hunted. Better not let it get to that.”

“Ah,” Ethan nodded his understanding and simultaneously felt both better and a little more nervous - Mark’s logical brain was in control, that was for sure, but those vampire instincts were always bubbling beneath the surface and could be unleashed with the smallest wrong move… “I’ll be careful then,” he said as he began to slowly walk over to the sofa and sit down, pulling off his backpack and setting it down on the floor next to his feet.

Chica immediately wandered over to him, wanting his attention, but Mark was right behind her, gently taking hold of her collar and guiding her away towards the patio doors again. “Just give us a little while to ourselves, okay girl?” he cooed to her as he kissed the top of her head then closed the door again and pulled a curtain across the glass so she wouldn’t be able to see what was going on inside the house.

“I’m guessing she wouldn’t be too happy if she saw you attacking me,” Ethan offered, giving a wry smile as Mark approached him, now with the cleaning supplies in his hands. He knelt down in front of Ethan and began laying out sterile wipes, gauze, all the usual stuff, and he set a towel down on the sofa next to him.

“I’m not entirely sure how she’d react,” Mark said honestly, keeping his eyes down but he returned Ethan’s smile, “Either way, I just don’t think it’s a great idea to keep her nearby. More stress-free for you, if you think about it.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Ethan said, watching Mark knelt on the floor before him and he thought, if this were any other situation, he’d probably think it was  _ hot _ to have such a beautiful guy knelt on his knees in front of him. The fact that he was a vampire wasn’t off-putting in the slightest, it was just, well, they were kind of like business partners, bound by a contract and Mark only wanted his blood. So Ethan knew that it was a bad idea to think these kinds of things - but that didn’t mean he couldn’t  _ look _ at Mark now, did it? “Do you want me to sit or lie down?” he asked at last, seeing the vampire get to his feet and move across the room to a chest of drawers.

“Whichever you’d be most comfortable with,” Mark replied as he pulled a necklace out from under his shirt which had a couple keys dangling from it. He unlocked the top drawer with one of them, then pulled out a dagger.  _ Wait _ . A  _ dagger _ ? Ethan’s eyes widened when he saw the object now in Mark’s hand and he immediately moved to delve his own hand into his backpack, fingers curling firmly around the vampire-strength taser that he kept in there just in case. Rogue vampires weren’t as much of a threat as they were decades ago, but that didn’t mean they were non-existent now. Hence why he had the taser on him at all times whenever he left his apartment. “You don’t need to be afraid,” Mark said as he turned to face him - clearly he’d heard the frantic movements of Ethan scrabbling for the taser. Slowly walking over and moving to kneel in front of him once again, he looked directly into Ethan’s eyes, “I thought I’d give you this to use when you’re here just in case I go too far during our sessions.  _ Not _ that that will ever happen because I’m more than in control of myself, I promise you.” He lifted the dagger, letting it simply rest in his outstretched palm so that Ethan could see he had no intention of using it, “If you need to, you can press this against my throat and it  _ will _ harm me if you use enough force. Enough to cause me alarm and stop feeding. Do you understand?”

Ethan frowned but nodded slowly, taking his hand out of his backpack and instead grasping the dagger, placing it on his lap. “Thanks, Mark,” he said quietly, swallowing hard at the thought of having to use a  _ dagger  _ of all things. “I hope I never have to use this,” he said genuinely, giving the vampire a small smile.

Mark smiled in return, though it was a little strained, “You won’t. Now, d’you wanna put that towel across your shoulder? That is… assuming we’re doing the jugular? I’m happy to switch to another point if it’d be more comfortable for you.”

“Jugular is fine by me,” Ethan nodded, unfolding the towel and draping it across his shoulder so that an equal amount of the material covered both his chest and back. “The uniforms for work have pretty high collars so it won’t be noticeable.”

“Good,” Mark nodded slowly, and as Ethan watched he closed his eyes and inhaled a long, deep breath - probably taking a whiff of  _ him _ , like someone would appreciatively sniff their dinner before they began eating. Yep, he realised, he was definitely Mark’s dinner right now - when Mark’s eyes opened again, his irises were mostly overtaken with red and Ethan felt a shiver rocket through his body. His role in life had suddenly shifted from poor young guy just trying to make enough money to afford the rent on his shitty apartment to ensnared prey practically rolled over on its back waiting for the predator to strike. “You’re still sure you want to do this?” Mark asked, his voice noticeably even deeper than it usually would be, the sound reverberating through his chest and making Ethan’s ears perk up. And, once again, he was surprised but comforted - even though Mark was clearly ready to feed from him, he was still giving Ethan the option to opt out if he wanted to. It was a relief to him to have been partnered with a vampire that was so considerate.

“Yep, one hundred percent,” Ethan answered without hesitation, giving a small smile as he watched Mark nod and then move off the floor and onto the sofa next to him. He leaned close and lifted a hand, eyes meeting Ethan’s.

“Is it alright for me to touch you?” Mark asked, hand lingering in the air near Ethan’s shoulder.

“Sure.” Ethan nodded, then watched as Mark’s left hand landed on his shoulder near to the juncture where it met his neck, and then his right hand moved to the opposite side of Ethan’s body and settled on his waist. This seemed to be his most preferred position for feeding because it was the same as when he’d bitten Ethan during the assessment days ago.

“Okay,” Mark said softly, the volume of his voice lowered to almost-inaudible, but because of their close proximity there was no way that Ethan couldn’t hear it, “I’m gonna bite now. You know what to do if you need me to stop and I don’t respond.”

“Yep, I do,” Ethan replied, his hand back to grasp the dagger in his lap once more and he took a deep inhale in preparation when he felt Mark lean in close, the vampire’s breath ghosting over his neck.

“One, two, three…” After Mark’s breathy countdown, Ethan held his breath and closed his eyes, then felt two sharp stabbing sensations bloom in his neck where Mark’s teeth pierced the skin. It was more painful than the assessment had been since he hadn’t been given any anaesthetic, but that had purely been just for the clinical procedure. Anaesthetic wasn’t favourable to vampires when they were drinking your blood, it left a strange aftertaste in their mouth apparently. It was more painful than a needle, for sure, but became bearable after a few moments - only the initial bite was bad, the blood drinking wasn’t painful, just… different to anything he’d ever experienced. As he felt Mark’s hands clench at the two points where they touched Ethan’s body, he swallowed hard and forced himself to breathe normally to keep his body functioning. At first his heartbeat had been loud in his ears, but as he relaxed he noticed that Mark was making soft growling noises at the back of his throat as he drank. And the more he thought about the fact that he was giving Mark his lifeblood, the source of his  _ and _ the vampire’s survival, his brain became a little… fuzzy. As the fuzziness set in, other, unfamiliar thoughts began to filter into his mind, like how he was pleased that he was able to give Mark what he needed to live. That was an addicting thought, and the more he focused on it he felt like he wanted to pledge his entire life to feeding this vampire. Warmth became closer at one side of his body and his free hand reached out to settle on a firm thigh which was pressed up against his own, tense and lovely to hold onto. As if in response, he felt Mark’s hand slide from his waist down to Ethan’s thigh and give a squeeze, and another longer, deeper growl rumbled at the back of the vampire’s throat. The sound made Ethan feel euphoric… he wanted to worship at the altar of Mark for the rest of his life, praising this unearthly creature and all of his beauty. He didn’t really know what he’d expected to feel when he was having his blood drunk, but this tempting, addictive and intimate connection to his vampire partner was… beyond anything he’d ever felt in his entire life. Then all too soon, the warm, delicious bubble of their feeding was popped when sharp teeth were removed from his neck. Ethan blinked as he came back to reality, realising that his free hand was clamped tight onto Mark’s thigh and he definitely felt a little light-headed. The light-headedness was normal for a feeding though, after all blood was being drawn from your body so it was to be expected. He’d need to rest for a little while before he could head home… Though, after taking stock of himself, he noticed that Mark too had a hand in an almost vice-like grip on Ethan’s thigh and he licked his lips, glancing up at the vampire’s face. Though his irises were now back to their regular dark shade, his pupils were blown wide, and there was no mistaking the bloodstains around his mouth.

“I… are you alright?” Mark asked quietly, clearing his throat and wrenching his hand away from Ethan’s leg - there might be a bruise there later, but that was okay, it wouldn’t be noticeable. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to grab you so hard,” the vampire kept talking, his voice in hushed tones as he surveyed the area he’d bitten and moved the dagger away from Ethan’s lap and onto the coffee table.

“No, Mark, it’s fine,” Ethan immediately reassured, “I’m okay! You didn’t hurt me or anything. Promise.” He even offered a smile, though he did have to lean his head back on the sofa and close his eyes so that his head would stop spinning. “Just need to rest for a bit.” He heard Mark reach for the cleaning stuff and felt his bite wound being wiped and cleansed gently.

“Are you sure?” Mark mumbled, inspecting the bite marks to make sure there was no residue, then he covered them with a gauze and taped it securely, but made sure it wasn’t pressed too firmly to the skin. He also made sure to clean up the rest of Ethan’s neck, getting any stains and taking the utmost care not to hurt him in any way. “I suppose it’s been a while since I’ve  _ properly _ fed from someone and had the time to enjoy it… Plus, I’ve not tasted someone quite as good as you in a long time.” Ethan cracked one eye open in time to see Mark cringe, “Sorry, you probably don’t wanna hear me talk like that.”

“It’s okay,” Ethan gave a light giggle, “I don’t mind. It’s interesting to know how it felt for you. And honestly, Mark, stop beating yourself up. I’m perfectly okay, just need a snack or two and I’ll be up and at ‘em again.”

“Oh! That reminds me…” He saw Mark stand and move towards the kitchen, calling back to him as he moved, “I know you said not to worry, but I just wanted to at least feed  _ you _ seeing as you’ve just fed  _ me _ .” Ethan was curious, but he had a feeling he knew what Mark was getting at… if he’d done what he thought he had, he was just too thoughtful and it really wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t like Ethan was doing this out of the kindness of his heart - he’d signed up to be fed from in order to be paid a hell of a lot of money and get a good place of his own to live in.

“What have you done?” Ethan asked in a teasing tone, watching as Mark reappeared around the corner with a tray full of loads of different foods. “I’m allergic to peanuts, ya know.”

“Yeah, I did read our contract,” Mark chuckled, setting the tray down on the coffee table and pulling it closer over to the sofa as if it weighed nothing, which was  _ hot _ \- though Ethan  _ really _ didn’t need to be admiring this guy’s strength right now when he was light headed from blood loss. “Plus, I’ve noticed the allergy ID bracelet you wear.”

“I told you not to make me food,” Ethan kind of grumbled, putting weight on his hands and pushing to sit himself up a little more, “It’s not like I get nothing out of this partnership.”

“I know, but I just want to show my own personal appreciation for what you’re doing,” Mark said with a nod, clasping his hands together in front of him as he watched Ethan warily, making sure that he wasn’t going to pass out. He reached for a glass of water and handed that to him. “Here, you need to get all your vitals back up. I’ve got all kinds of foods here that will help replenish all the nutrients you’ve lost.” He watched as Ethan gulped down the water slowly, and then when Mark took it back and set it down, he passed him a banana which the boy peeled and began to eat.

“You’re pretty stubborn, aren’t you?” Ethan asked between mouthfuls, watching Mark right back, glad to see that not only his irises but also now his pupils had gone back to normal.

“Some would say so, yeah,” Mark admitted with a laugh, a slight grin pulling at his lips, “But only when it really matters and I know I’m doing the right thing.” When Ethan was done with the banana, putting the peel back onto the tray, Mark passed him a vanilla yoghurt with a spoon. “I’ve made sure everything I’m giving you is one hundred percent peanut free,” he assured.

“I can see that, I’ve had these brands before,” Ethan commented, eyeing the other foods on offer as he swallowed a mouthful of the yoghurt - only when he’d been living at home with his parents though, he couldn’t afford such luxuries with his current lifestyle. He was really trying not to let this all get to him, but it was hard when it was obvious how much thought and care Mark had put into this selection of food for him. Not only had he picked out foods which would specifically replenish the nutrients his body needed after such a fair amount of blood loss, but he’d done his research and sought out only products that were guaranteed to be peanut free so that Ethan could eat them.

“Something’s wrong,” Mark said slowly, having been watching Ethan the entire time, “You look troubled.”

“It’s not that something’s  _ wrong _ , exactly,” Ethan responded after a moment’s pause, licking the spoon before setting it in the now-empty yoghurt pot and placing everything on the tray. “I just, well… Mark, we’re not  _ friends _ , you don’t have to do these things for me. I told you I’d bring snacks along. Why do you wanna do this so bad, really? If we were friends then I’d get it, but you don’t even really know me.”

“I told you why,” Mark said without hesitation, and even though his words had been a little harsh, he could tell that the vampire wasn’t hurt by them. “I know we’re not currently friends, more like strangers right now. But I want you to be comfortable when you come to my house and have me feed from you. Sure, you get paid a pretty decent salary to do this, but that’s not from  _ my _ bank account. I just want to do what I can to show you how grateful I am. Most humans aren’t comfortable letting a vampire drink their blood, let alone sign a contract saying that they can do so every week. Is it so bad that I just wanna show my thanks?”

As Ethan listened, his gaze settled on Mark’s TV and he pressed his lips together, realising that he probably was just making a mountain out of a molehill. Why was it so bad that Mark wanted to thank him for letting him feed from him? He supposed that he’d just been thinking selfishly and a little illogically too - in his mind, they couldn’t be friends if they were in this contract together because what if they fell out and then Mark didn’t want to feed from him anymore? Then Ethan would lose his money and his chances at a better place to live. But how likely was it to come to that? Plus, wasn’t life too short to get hung up on what ifs? That’s what his dad had always told him, after all…

“No, it’s not bad,” Ethan said with a sigh eventually, glancing over at Mark and smiling at him when the vampire looked up to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry for being an asshole. I guess I’ve just never done this sort of thing before so I wasn’t sure how to handle it.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” Mark said honestly, matching Ethan’s smile and he handed him a small pot of hummus with some pita bread. At Ethan’s curious look at this choice of food, Mark chuckled, “Chickpeas are high in folic acid. Good for red blood cell production.”

“Ah,” Ethan nodded, and as he ate some he groaned, “God, this is like the best hummus I’ve ever had. Where’d you get it from?”

“Actually, I, ah… made that myself,” Mark admitted, his cheeks dusting pink and Ethan’s eyebrows raised incredulously.

“No way! Dude, this is so good. You need to tell me your secret.” Ethan laughed before taking another mouthful and humming appreciatively.

“Maybe next time I’ll let you in on the Fischbach recipe,” Mark teased, his eyes gleaming as he watched Ethan eat and then nod in agreement.

“For sure! Or, I suppose, you could make some more for me next week,” Ethan said with a little hopeful grin, looking up at Mark who’s eyes widened as if in disbelief.

“If that’s what you want, I’d love to. Cooking is one of my favourite hobbies,” Mark said with enthusiasm, and Ethan thought he looked pretty cute all excited the way he was.

“Speaking of, what do you do? Like, for work?” Ethan asked curiously, finishing off the hummus and wiping his mouth. When Mark took that back, he passed over a glass of orange juice and Ethan sipped at it slowly. He was starting to feel a little better, but he was in no rush to move, so he was going to take his time to rest. It was no good hurrying back to his apartment thinking he was okay only to end up keeling over and one of his flatmates coming back to find him sprawled out on the kitchen floor.

“Uh, well that’s part of the reason why I wanted you to have the Uber drop you off a couple blocks away. I’m kinda… well known in the vampire community, so I don’t want my address being found out by accident.” Mark rubbed the back of his neck, and was that a nervous look on the vampire’s face? “You know how humans have YouTube?”

“Yeah, obviously,” Ethan chuckled, “I’ve got a vlog there that I hardly ever use anymore.”

“Well us vampires have our own version of YouTube,” Mark tried to explain, giving a little laugh, “We try to keep it away from humans because, well… usually whenever we’ve tried to get something started and humans get wind of it, they usually end up shutting it down or taking it over. No offense.”

“None taken,” Ethan said with a laugh, taking another sip of orange juice, “So how come us humans haven’t found it yet?”

“It’s located on a secure network that’s not available to the general public.” When Ethan raised an eyebrow, as if that wasn’t enough of an explanation, Mark continued, “You know there’s the dark web and the surface web? Well, this website is in the middle of those, the deep web. You have to enter a password to access the initial webpage, then enter your VID number. So, unless a vampire’s told you their ID number you won’t be able to even get to the home page.”

That’s right, Ethan thought to himself, when vampires were created they had to be registered to their local embassy so that there was a record of their existence - that way, it made things a hell of a lot easier for them to get around as normal citizens with their daily lives. When a vampire’s creation was registered, they were issued with a VID number. “That’s so cool,” Ethan said suddenly, giving a little grin, “So what do you do on, well, whatever you call it?”

“It’s called The Crossing,” Mark supplied, giving a small smile, “I probably shouldn’t be telling you anything about it but I trust you.”

“You do?” Ethan asked, genuinely surprised, and he stared at the vampire in shock for a few moments, taking that in. Why would he? They only just barely knew each other…

“Sure I do,” Mark shrugged, “You haven’t been giving any huge warning signs that you’re a vampire hater and that you’re trying to kill me. Plus, I’m usually a good judge of character from first meetings so...” He shrugged again, as if that was answer enough.

“Right,” Ethan laughed genuinely at the vague explanation, “I guess that makes sense. Well, I can assure you I won’t tell anyone about your secret career. What do you do on The Crossing then?” He watched Mark press his lips together, his gaze sliding over towards his TV. Ethan’s followed, landing on the games stacked up there. “Holy shit, are you an online gamer?” Ethan giggled, having to put down the glass of orange juice so as to not spill it as the laughter overtook him. When he saw Mark’s face go red Ethan laughed even more and he held his stomach as it began hurting when he laughed too much. “Oh my god you  _ are _ . Sorry, it’s not funny, I actually think it’s super cool, but…” He took a deep, calming breath, “There’s just something that tickles me about a vampire gamer. I can’t explain it…” When he saw Mark clearly looking embarrassed, he cringed, “I’m sorry, I wasn’t poking fun, honestly. I think it’s awesome, I watch Let’s Plays and people streaming all the time. Do you play Five Nights At Freddy’s on your channel then?”

“I have done,” Mark nodded slowly, giving a small, almost hesitant smile, “It was pretty popular in the community, but I think that’s common amongst everyone, not just us vampires.”

“I’d give you a watch if I could,” Ethan offered with a smile, giving a little shrug and finishing his glass of orange juice.

“Well, I could show you a video right now if you like,” Mark replied, eyebrows raised, “If you really want to, that is. If you were just being kind then it’s totally okay, I won’t be offended.”

“That would be okay?” Ethan asked, blinking slowly as he thought about the offer, “You won’t get into trouble for showing a human?”

“Who’s gonna know?” Mark teased, giving a little smirk and getting up off the sofa, “Besides, it’s my content, I can show whoever I like.” He moved over to the other side of the room to pull back the curtain over the patio door and slide it open, Chica wandering in a few moments later and plopping her head in Ethan’s lap. He smiled fondly and scratched her ears, watching her tail begin to thump happily. Once Mark had closed the door again, then retrieved a laptop from another table across the room, he brought it over and sat next to Ethan with it open and on. Chica happily flumped down at their feet, chewing a stuffed toy and thumping her tail against the floor.

“That’s a fair point,” Ethan conceded, lounging back against the sofa cushions and letting out a soft yawn. Having your blood drunk by a vampire really took it out of you… “I’m very intrigued by all of this.”

“I’m glad to be of entertainment,” Mark chuckled, shuffling to get comfortable and he laid the laptop half on his, half on Ethan’s legs after loading up his first video playing FNaF. “Prepare to be amazed,” the vampire said in a theatrical trailer voice before clicking play.

Ethan rolled his eyes with an amused smile, then settled in to watch the video. As he did so, a genuine smile began to pull at his lips without realising, and every so often he’d giggle at a joke on-screen Mark had made. Even though he’d seen and played FNaF so many times, he still jumped every now and then when the animatronics lunged at the screen. The video was around half an hour long and, even though it was far from a relaxing video, the warmth of Mark’s house, Chica at his feet, and the comfort of his sofa - combined with his body’s fatigue from the blood loss - had Ethan drifting off, his eyes sliding closed and his head lolling over onto Mark’s shoulder. The vampire blinked in surprise when he felt a weight land there and looked down to see it was Ethan, fast asleep. He didn’t want to disturb him since he’d been so kind as to let him feed and he clearly needed the rest, so he just stopped the video when it came to an end, instead loading up his watch later playlist and playing through some of them at the quietest volume possible. It was a couple hours later when Ethan began shifting in his sleep, muttering quiet nonsense, only to bolt upright with a soft gasp and stare at Mark’s face.

“God, I’m sorry… How long was I asleep for?” he muttered, still a little drowsy but clearly wanting to get his words out was more important than letting his brain restart after his impromptu nap.

“Only a couple hours,” Mark answered with a smile, pausing the video that was currently playing on his laptop. “It’s okay, you needed it. Here, I’ll get you some more water.” Ethan shifted away from where his body weight had been leant on Mark, and the vampire got up to refill his glass and hand it to him. “How are you feeling?”

“You mean aside from embarrassed? I’m okay,” Ethan muttered before taking a long gulp of water, then setting it down on the coffee table. He glanced around the room, seeing Chica chewing a dog toy in her bed, content with herself apparently.

“Ethan, please stop,” Mark insisted with a chuckle, “It’s not a bother to me at all, I don’t mind. I’m happy that you got the rest you needed. Okay?”

“Hmm, I guess,” Ethan said with a sigh. He eyed the laptop on the sofa, then looked back at Mark, “Your video was good, by the way. Well, what I saw of it. Who does your editing?”

“I do,” Mark admitted with a cringe, “It slows down my schedule quite a bit, I’ve been searching for someone to do it for me but no one’s turned up yet.” He gave a shrug.

“Must be a lot of work doing all the recording and editing yourself.” Ethan made a face sympathetically and Mark shrugged, reaching around his own neck to pull out the chain with the keys on it once more.

“It is, but it keeps me busy,” the vampire responded, smiling as he unhooked one of the keys and held it out towards Ethan, “I made a copy of the key to that drawer for you - the one I keep the dagger in.”

“Oh, thanks!” Ethan blinked in surprise, but he took the key and leaned down to put it in his wallet in his backpack. He watched as Mark grabbed the dagger from the table and locked it back in the drawer, then turned to Ethan again.

“Did you want anything else to eat or drink?”

“No, I’m good, thanks,” Ethan responded, standing up and scrubbing a hand through the front of his hair, “I should be going, actually, I’ve taken up way too much of your time.”

“Don’t be silly, it’s not been any trouble at all,” Mark said with a genuine smile, crossing his arms over his chest, “I’m grateful for today. And for all of the future sessions too, they’re a great help to me.”

“Sure,” Ethan said softly with a warm smile, “I don’t mind doing it. Plus, I got to pet Chica so it’s more than worth it.” He gave a wink and laughed.

“Of course.” Mark laughed, shaking his head. He walked over and nodded his head towards the front door, “I’ll walk you out.” Ethan retrieved his vans and put them on, and then Mark opened the door - the bright blue sky outside was beginning to fade, with orange and pink hues spreading out as far as the eye could see. “You’ll be okay getting home on your own, right?”

“ _ Yes _ , Mark.” Ethan rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his face. “I’ll be getting an Uber back, plus it’s still light out.”

“Well, make sure you let me know when you’re safely back, okay?” Ethan looked up at the vampire, raising an eyebrow - was he seriously doing this right now?

“Yeah, sure,” he conceded, laughing and shaking his head, “Thanks for the food, Mark. And consider me to be your first human fan.”

With a snort, Mark wiped a hand over his face. “Ha ha. Don’t make me regret showing you that video.”

“I’m kidding,” Ethan said, stepping out onto the front door step, “I liked it a lot.” With a stretch of his arms above his head, he groaned and stepped backwards. “Well, I’m gonna head off and order myself an Uber. I’ll see you same time next week.”

“That you will,” Mark said with a grin, eyes gleaming. He waved a hand as Chica came to stand at his side, tail wagging. “Take care, Ethan, get home safe.”

“Bye, Mark!” Ethan called, waving back before he set off on his way down the street, ordering himself an Uber on his phone as he walked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this one was a lengthy one! I'm ngl I think all of the chapters for this fic are gonna be kinda long so expect the gaps between them to be a little longer than I'd usually like, sorry! Also, I'm going back to work in a few days after like three months off so chapters will be even more delayed. Please bear with me. Hope you liked the chapter and where it's going! x


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey heyyy, I promised the next update would be a real chapter! Sorry for scaring so many of you into thinking I was abandoning this fic :') Also sorry for such a long wait, but things are starting to get juicy in the storyline now so hopefully that makes up for it?
> 
> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are actually in very real relationships with their girlfriends so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

Ethan wasn’t expecting to see Mark again so soon. They’d never crossed paths before they met at the Vampire Embassy, or at least not that he’d noticed, so how likely was it for that to happen after they’d become acquainted? LA was a big place and the chances of them running into each other coincidentally were slim. However, a couple of days after their first feeding session, Ethan was at the cafe where he worked when such a coincidence occurred. Whilst he was filling one of the hoppers with coffee beans mere minutes after they’d opened for the day, he looked up when the bell above the door rang out to signal the entrance of a customer. He was ready to call out a greeting, only to blink a couple of times when he saw just who had turned up apparently to get a morning cup o’ joe. Mark. As in Mark that only days before had had his fangs stuck in his neck and had drank his blood. Weird that he’d come here after such a short time after meeting him and had never been a customer in the cafe before. Or at least, not that he’d noticed, and he’d worked there for a couple years - besides, it was kind of hard  _ not _ to notice Mark, the way he looked. One, he was gorgeous, and two, vampires always had a kind of vibe or aura about them that signalled they weren’t human.

“Ethan? I didn’t know you worked here,” the vampire said with an air of surprise as he approached the counter.

Ethan quirked an eyebrow, holding back a comment about how much of a strange coincidence it was for him to be here after finding out that he worked at a cafe - sure, there were a  _ lot _ of cafes in LA and he’d never actually told Mark the name of the one he worked at but how had he managed to find his way here this morning after never setting foot in the place before they’d met? Also, it wasn’t like this place was close to where Mark lived. In fact, it was quite a journey and pretty much the other side of LA from his house. But he didn’t want to be cynical or accuse Mark of anything, he wanted to believe that really it was just ironic and the universe acting as chaotic and mysterious as usual. Maybe it  _ was _ just some weird coincidence. Stranger things have happened, isn’t that the saying?

“Hey Mark,” Ethan greeted in response, instead of making the accusatory comment that had originally been forming on his tongue, “Well, now you know. What’re you doing this side of town?”

Ethan watched as the vampire planted his feet when he reached the spot in front of the cash register and slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans, the epitome of laid back.

“Well, I wanted to branch out from  _ just _ gaming videos on my channel so I decided to do a little wandering around the city to try and get some inspiration for future videos.”

“Ah.” Ethan nodded and moved to stand in front of the register, keying in his login details onto the screen. “So you ended up running into the cafe where I work. Weird, huh? Maybe the universe  _ meant  _ for this to happen.” He offered a playful smile so that hopefully Mark wouldn’t think he was accusing him of stalking him or something. Watching the vampire, he saw his eyes narrow for a split second, before his face cleared once more.

“Ha, yeah it is strange, right? I thought this morning that if I ventured far away from where I usually do daily stuff then inspiration will be more likely to strike than if I stay in the area I’m most familiar with. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, I get it.” Ethan laughed, then nodded at the coffee machine next to him, “You want something?”

“Oh! Yeah, of course, that’s what I came in for.” Mark seemed to cringe, maybe embarrassed that he’d gotten sidetracked from ordering something. “Can I get a flat white?”

“Sure,” Ethan chirped with a smile, immediately switching to work mode and feeling a little more at ease, “To have in or to go?”

“Uh, I’ll sit in for a while, if you don’t mind?” Ethan was sure that Mark had a hopeful look on his face, and he was grateful that he was asking to make sure that it was okay to stick around, since he didn’t like to bother people he knew at their workplaces too much either.

“Yeah, no problem.” Ethan nodded, still smiling, and tapped the screen in front of him to put through Mark’s order, “You want any syrups in the flat white? Any whipped cream on top? Or any food to go with it?”

“Nah, just as it is is fine with me,” Mark replied, fishing his wallet out of his pocket and pulling out his card to pay, “Just had breakfast too, so I’m good.”

“I got this, put your card away,” Ethan told him, looking up from the till screen to throw him a wink, totalling the order and entering in his employee discount number so that the transaction came to zero and the receipt printed out.

“You didn’t have to do that, man… Thank you,” Mark said with surprise, eyebrows raised as he put his card back in his wallet and then slid that back into his pocket.

“I know.” Ethan grinned then grabbed a cup, moving to the coffee machine and setting it down under the basket handle. Whilst the espresso shots began to pour into the cup he grabbed a silver jug and began to steam the milk, tapping the jug on the counter and swirling it once the milk had reached the perfect temperature. He could sense Mark watching him but now he was in the swing of work, he wasn’t fazed too much - he was used to customers watching him do his thing, they liked to see the process that took place to make their coffee. After he was satisfied the milk was smooth enough and there were no pesky air bubbles in it, he grabbed the cup and tipped it at an angle whilst doing the same with the milk jug. He then began to swirl the milk into the cup as it poured, before straightening out the flow and shaking it gently to create a pattern on top. Making little pieces of art in customers’ coffee was one of the best things about this job and he never tired of trying to make new designs, but for Mark he’d settled on a classic. After placing the cup onto a saucer, he slid it across the counter to the vampire still stood there waiting. “Voila! One flat white.”

“Hey, that’s cute!” Mark exclaimed, his gaze aimed at the multi-layered heart pattern that Ethan had poured with experienced ease into the top of his coffee.

“Thanks, dude.” Ethan offered a grin, wiping down the steaming wand that he’d just used and rinsing the jug in the sink before popping it back into the milk fridge. “So, is this your first stop on the journey of inspiration this morning?”

“No, actually, I’ve been out for a while already,” Mark admitted with a chuckle, “I’m something of an early bird. So I think I’m going to mull over my coffee and do some video brainstorming for a bit before I head home and put those ideas into motion…”

Before Ethan could respond, he was interrupted by the ringing of the bell above the door signalling the arrival of another customer. He offered a bright smile to the person walking in, then glanced at Mark who gave him a warm smile.

“Thanks again for the coffee. I’ll get out of your way.”

With that, the vampire grabbed his flat white and made his way over to a table by the window, sitting down and pulling his phone out of his pocket. Ethan had to tear his gaze away in order to greet his next customer and focus back on what he was here to do - work. 

And work he did. It wasn’t the busiest day he’d ever had, but there had been enough of a steady stream of customers to serve that he’d almost - emphasis on the  _ almost _ \- forgotten about the presence of Mark over by the window. Staying true to his word, the vampire had gotten out of his way and stayed there for the next couple hours. Ethan was used to people spending hours in the cafe, it was a prime place for people to get work done if they were the work from home sort - they didn’t have to stay in their house where all manner of distractions could hinder their progress. He guessed that that was what Mark was doing, from the few times he’d glanced his way. Every time he looked over, the vampire was tapping away at his phone, no doubt making some notes on future videos. One of his colleagues had turned up around midday to join him for the rest of the day and help with the rush that usually happened in the evening and also to close up at the end of the day. When she spotted him glancing at Mark for possibly the fifth time in an unacceptably short space of time, she nudged his side and grinned, using a brief lull in customers to make a comment about it.

“Who’s fangs over there? He’s hot. You should give him your number.”

Ethan felt his face heat up and knew that Mark probably would’ve overheard her comment, considering that vampires were known for their excellent hearing - among other incredible skills and abilities. He shushed his colleague, throwing her a Look.

“Margot!” he warned, “I know him, he’s…” He bit his lip, immediately deciding that he could trust her with the truth. Dragging her out back through a door, glancing out through the window to check if Mark was looking their way or not - thankfully he wasn’t - he turned on the faucet of one of the sinks where they’d usually wash up used cutlery to mask the sound of their voices, then whispered close to her. “We both became partners for the vampire feeding programme recently - a few days ago he fed from me for the first time.”

He watched as his colleague’s eyebrows shot up towards her hairline and she lifted up on tiptoes to glance out of the window, only to duck back down, “Shit, he was looking. Holy crap, Ethan! That’s fucking awesome, dude, and he is  _ gorgeous. _ Did you guys hook up?”

His face bloomed with heat once more at her question and he frowned, shaking his head vehemently. “No! Jeez, Margot, that’d be  _ weird _ . I’m being paid to let him suck my blood.”

She cocked an eyebrow, arms crossing over her chest as she surveyed him and he couldn’t help but feel like she was picking apart his internal feelings. She had a weird ability to be able to seemingly read his mind sometimes.

“But you  _ want _ to, right?”

“Holy…. Okay, sure, I’ll admit he’s hot. Obviously. But it’s just not going to happen. I’m not screwing up this chance for me to earn some decent money for the first time in my life.”

Ethan watched as Margot’s gaze softened in understanding and she nodded, offering him a smile.

“You’re a more sensible guy than I’d be in your situation, Ethan. But I get it. You don’t want a hookup to ruin things between you and then he suddenly decides he doesn’t want to feed from you anymore and you’re back to square one,” she mumbled.

“Pretty much, yeah,” he admitted with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck before turning off the faucet once more, “You okay for me to take my break?”

“So you can go and sit with Mr Beefcake over by the window? Sure,” she teased, giving him a grin before sneaking through the door back out into the cafe before he could grab her and give her a shake for being so annoying but so right.

With a sigh, Ethan took off his apron and undid the top button of his shirt, forgetting about the vampire bite that his collar was hiding. He then came out into the cafe once more, grabbing an americano and a sandwich (free of course) before walking over to sit opposite Mark at the table he was still occupying. The vampire didn’t appear surprised as he looked up from his phone, though there was a pleasant smile on his face and Ethan internally sighed at his own ability to be so darn  _ sensible _ \- why couldn’t he just throw caution to the wind and make a move on the vampire? Because money was more important than a one night stand, he forcefully reminded himself.

“Break?” Mark questioned, setting his phone down on the table in front of him - face  _ up _ , Ethan noted.

“Mmhm,” Ethan hummed, digging straight into his sandwich, “Did you get much brainstorming done?”

He watched as Mark’s eyes flickered to his neck and he fought not to break eye contact once he looked back up. Instead he made himself carry on eating, wondering what it was about his neck that had caught his attention - was it the memory of biting there not too long ago?

“Yes, actually. Quite a bit… And I’ve made plans to make most of the ideas into videos, I just… wish I had someone to at least help me edit, ya know? Most people I know aren’t into this kinda thing and just thinking about the amount of editing I’m going to be doing has me holding back just a little, if only for my sanity.” Mark chuckled somewhat self-consciously and shook his head with a smile that pulled at the corner of his mouth, “Some of these ideas will probably have to wait a while…”

“Well, I mean…” Shit, was he really going to do this? When did he even have time to do anything for  _ himself _ , let alone help out Mark? Too late now, the idea was already formed and halfway out of his mouth. “I could give it a shot?” He felt like backtracking when Mark’s eyes fixed in on him, but carried on, if only to save his own pride. “Editing is kinda… my thing. I could show you some examples, I don’t expect you to take my word for it. Or… well, you don’t have to. Up to you!”

“You’d wanna help me edit?” Mark asked, his eyes lighting up with something akin to wonder and he shifted in his chair, laying his hands on the table, “Ethan, that would be  _ such _ a great help. But are you sure you’ve got the time? I know you work two jobs and I don’t want you working yourself to the bone…” He lowered his voice, leaning in closer to speak his next words, “And  _ not _ just because I’ll be feeding from you. I do want you to take care of yourself anyway.”

Ethan couldn’t fight the smile that spreaded across his lips at the reminder that Mark genuinely cared for his well being and not just as a source of blood. It was nice to know he was partnered with such a compassionate vampire and not some hot head who wanted to drain every possible ounce of blood from him and leave no time for recuperation.

“I mean, we could always take turns with editing, at least to give you a bit of a break from doing  _ all _ of it?” Ethan suggested, grabbing his coffee and taking a long sip. He watched Mark over the rim of the cup as he did so. He saw the vampire’s lips stretch into a grin and had to distract himself from how cute it was by putting his cup down and wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Besides,” he continued, “I’m not gonna be working two jobs for much longer. I’m gonna quit the club soon, stick with just this place and the money I get from you-know-where whilst I save up for a house of my own.”

At the mention of the money he’d be getting from the vampire council, Mark’s eyes appeared to flicker down to his neck again, to which he realised that  _ shit _ , he still had the bite mark there and had forgotten about it when he’d undone the button of his shirt. Face heating up, he cleared his throat and wondered what Mark must have been thinking - did he presume that he was purposefully showing it off, wanting to remind Mark of what they’d done? He hadn’t meant to do it, that was far from his intention… Geez, this was almost like some high school kid showing off a hickey from the person they’d messed around with the night before. He really hoped that from the short time they’d spent together Mark knew him better than to do something like that. Besides, from what he’d seen so far Mark wasn’t the kind of possessive vampire to take pride in vampire bites they’d left on humans and if he could discern that much from the mere hours they’d been in each other’s company then Mark would surely know he hadn’t meant to show off the bite.

“Well,” Mark said, as if he hadn’t noticed anything amiss, their gazes meeting once more, “I think that’d be a great idea. Why don’t I send you some unedited footage and you do your thing and shoot it back to me when you’re done? Take as long as you need with it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ethan replied, giving a warm smile and subtly doing the button back up on his shirt. Then something occurred to him from the depths of his mind when Mark had been telling him about The Crossing - the YouTube style video platform for vampires. “Wait… am I allowed to help you with your videos? Won’t other vampires have an issue with a human knowing about the website?”

“Mm, not if they don’t know a human is helping me with my videos,” Mark murmured, a conspiratorial, twinkling look in his eyes, “Unless you’d like to be credited as the editor? I’d certainly prefer for your hard work to be recognised as yours, so that you get the applause you deserve.”

“Let’s… keep me out of the picture for now,” Ethan decided after a few moments’ thought, finishing his sandwich and swiping some sauce off the corner of his mouth. He noticed Mark’s eyes follow the movement, wishing once again that he could throw caution to the wind and tell Mark he wanted to see him naked, but he was still just as sensible as ever so that wasn’t going to happen. “I’d like to just get some practice in editing stuff that I haven’t recorded anyway, so this’ll be perfect for that. And maybe - if you like the way I edit - in the future at some point you can try and find a way to let me be credited. If at all.”

Mark nodded his agreement, offering a small but genuine smile in response to his suggestion, “If that’s what you’d like. I’m… excited to have you helping out. I know I’ve not seen any of your work yet but I have a good feeling.”

For some weird reason, Ethan felt his face flushing pink at the thought of Mark having a good feeling about his editing work. It was highly illogical to have a  _ feeling _ without having any evidence to support it, but still, he was flattered. He offered a soft laugh and shook his head.

“Don’t speak too soon else you might jinx my expert abilities,” he said with a wink, internally freaking out at the fact that his tongue had just decided to poke out between his teeth. Who did he think he was? What was he doing?! Was his body flirting without his brain’s input? Christ, he needed to get a grip… “Anyways,” he cleared his throat, “I should probably get back to work, it’s gonna start picking up again soon. You’ll send me the footage you want edited yeah?” He stood from his seat and grabbed his cup and plate he’d used for his lunch.

“Yes,” Mark said kinda stiffly, his gaze fixed somewhere on Ethan’s chest before he blinked and looked up so their eyes met, “Yeah, I will for sure. I’ll give you context and important info for the video too, anything that’ll help you edit it to the best of… your  _ abilities. _ ”

Was Ethan dreaming or was there a playful tone to Mark’s voice when he said that? And there was for sure something of an amused smirk curling his lips as he spoke. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, making himself smile casually.

“Great,” he replied, “You want another coffee or…?”

“No, I should probably go and get some work done.” Mark stood too and walked over to the end of the counter to place his cup there neatly, then turned to offer Ethan a smile as he walked over to also deposit his cup and plate there. “I hope the rest of your shift goes well.”

“Thanks, Mark!” Ethan smiled warmly as he straightened up the collar of his shirt and headed to the door that led into the back of the premises for employees, “Hope you have a productive day. I’ll text you my email address so you can send over the footage and everything.”

“That’d be great,” Mark responded, offering him a wave, “I’ll see you later, Ethan.” With that, he turned and headed out the door as Ethan bid him goodbye in return. As soon as the door closed behind him, Margot herded him back into the employee area out the back door and she had a shit-eating grin on her face.

“Dude, you were  _ so _ flirting with each other!” his colleague stage-whispered as he pulled on his apron and they headed back out into the cafe.

“Nah, that was just me makin’ a fool outta myself.” Ethan cleared up his and Mark’s used cups and plates. “And he played along out of politeness.”

“Ethan, I was an unbiased bystander to you guys practically eye-fucking,” she continued, nudging his side with her elbow, “And he flirted back! He’s into you, I could tell just from the way he was looking at you.”

“Ughhh,” was all Ethan could muster as a response to that, then after a pause, “Even  _ if _ you were right, nothin’s still gonna happen. Money is too important to me right now to throw it away. Also… I may have offered to help him with his work stuff. So we kinda also might be working together now?”

“Oh, you are  _ in deep _ , man,” Margot snickered, her face lit up with laughter, “You sure you don’t wanna ask if you can live with him so he’s always got a constant supply of blood within five feet of him?” If it was anyone else, Ethan may have taken offense to those words, but with Margot he just shoved her away and shook his head with a smile.

“It’s not like that! What I’ll be doing, if he likes my work, is the kinda thing I came to LA to do in the first place. So, if anything, he’s giving  _ me _ something,” he shot back, a laugh bubbling on his lips.

“Guessing you can’t tell me what it is?” Margot inquired, leaning her hip against the counter next to him.

He shook his head, pressing his lips together into an apologetic line. “Nope, sorry. It’s… a vampire thing. I probably shouldn’t even know about it so we’re treading  _ super _ carefully for a while.”

She nodded her understanding and offered a smile of reassurance. “I get it, don’t worry. Well, as much as I can get it without knowing the details.”

“Thanks, Margot.” He gave her a half hug, to which she wrinkled her nose at and gently shoved him off.

“Blergh, twink cooties,” she shot at him, then stuck her tongue out, to which had him bursting into giggles.

  
They were interrupted when a customer came into the cafe, and after that they had a pretty steady stream of people to serve through until the last hour before they closed. He and Margot were a pretty good team, so even though it’d been a fairly busy last few hours, they had the place sparkling clean in no time and were cashed up and out of the door no later than 45 minutes after the cafe closed. The light was beginning to die down in the late evening LA sky, and as Margot and he parted ways, bidding each other goodbye, Ethan turned to walk around the corner when something shifted in the corner of his eye. He looked up, seeing a flash of dark hair and deep, tanned skin disappear around the side of the building. Eyes narrowed, he sped up his steps and jogged to the corner, peeking around only to find nothing.  _ Weird _ . His mind was probably playing tricks on him with how tired he’d been lately, but it’d looked like Mark had just walked around that corner… Nah, he’d left for home hours ago. And plus there was definitely no one there. With a sigh, scrubbing a hand over his face, Ethan resumed the walk to his bus stop, ignoring the strange, tingly feeling he had shivering down his spine as he went. And he  _ definitely _ ignored the shadow at the edge of his vision that appeared to accompany his journey back to his apartment...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ethan's colleague Margot probably won't be making too many appearances in this fic but I adore her and she was heavily inspired by Robin from Stranger Things!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo I'm just gonna throw this chapter out there and warn you that there is smut in here somewhere. So, you know, be prepared. As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are very real people with real feelings and lives so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

Before Ethan knew it, a whole week had passed since his first feeding with Mark. His bite had mostly healed up in the time he’d had to rest, but even if Mark considered it to be too raw still then there was always the other side of his neck. Or… other parts of the body the vampire could drink from. Only thing was, he was a little concerned about how his… traitorous hormones would react to certain body parts being the source of Mark’s feeding. He knew that one of the preferred points for drawing blood to drink was on the inner thigh and just the thought of having Mark’s mouth pressed against the sensitive skin down there, growling as his thirst was sated, was enough to have him hot under the collar. Margot hadn’t helped his growing physical attraction to the vampire either - ever since learning about his and Mark’s connection the other day, she’d been non stop with her teasing and encouragement towards him making a move on the guy. It just  _ wasn’t _ going to happen, especially not now he’d offered up his video editing skills - which apparently Mark liked. 

Ethan had got straight to editing the footage that he’d been sent when he got home from the cafe the day that Mark had strolled in at opening time - and had stayed up working on it until 2am. It wasn’t because he was overeager to get it sent back to see what Mark thought, it was that as soon as he started he couldn’t stop. Having something to work on and being able to flex his editing muscles again was like a breath of fresh air. He’d not gotten a reply straight away when he sent the finished product back to Mark via email, but to that he wasn’t surprised - yet another myth that had prevailed surrounding vampires was that they didn’t sleep. In fact, they  _ did _ sleep, it was just that they didn’t need as much of it to rejuvenate their minds and bodies as humans did. However, when morning came and he woke up to get ready for his shift at the cafe the next day, he had a text from Mark expressing that he was a fan of his editing, but there was only so much he could say without them being face to face so he’d go into more detail about why he liked it so much when they next met. Ethan was just glad to have had a chance to edit something that wasn’t his own footage and it had proved the perfect opportunity for inspiration to begin flowing back into his brain - it had been missing for a long while.

So here he was, walking the couple blocks to Mark’s house from where he’d been dropped off by his uber driver like last week - that was always going to be part of the deal, unless Ethan managed to save up enough money to buy a car and drive straight to Mark’s house himself. One thing at a time, though, a place of his own was most important right now. As he made his way down the quiet, welcoming-looking streets, he had his phone out for google maps to guide him to his destination (he didn’t remember it off the top of his head from last time) but also had a hand in his jacket pocket clutching the taser that he usually kept in his backpack. It wasn’t necessarily that he’d felt unsafe the past few days, but he’d been seeing something out of the corner of his eye as he went about his usual activities - it’d happened too many times for it to be purely a coincidence or his mind making things up because he was tired. He had no clue what was going on, but he’d not felt like he was in danger so far. Maybe it was just his eyesight? Some kind of strain on his eyes that manifested as a kind of shadow at the corner of his gaze? For some reason though, he didn’t feel like that was the case. He wasn’t suffering with headaches and his eyes never felt overly-tired, which only led him to believe that someone - or something - had taken an interest in him. So, anytime he was on his own, travelling anywhere, he’d taken to having the taser in his pocket  _ just in case _ . You couldn’t be too careful, right?

After a few more minutes of walking, Ethan was at Mark’s door and he pressed the doorbell, hearing Chica barking from the back garden. He smiled to himself at the sound, pocketing his phone and easing his grip on the taser just a little. Within seconds, the front door swung open and there was Mark, a warm smile on his face and the irises of his eyes a deep red colour. It had Ethan swallowing, but he forced himself to take a breath and the tensing of his muscles eased a little. This was Mark, he’d be okay - he was considerate, calming, gentle and made him feel comfortable.

“Hey Ethan,” the vampire greeted, standing aside to let him in.

“Hey!” Ethan grinned in response and stepped inside, though before he did, as if on instinct, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure there wasn’t anything waiting to appear at the edge of his vision, trailing his movements. Though, gladly, there was nothing there and he hadn’t seen it the whole way to Mark’s house, so maybe whoever or whatever it was had… stopped? He had no clue. The vampire must have noticed his edgy behaviour because, once the front door was closed, Ethan turned and saw him watching him with a concerned look on his face.

“Is everything okay?” Mark asked, crossing his arms over his chest, leaning against the doorway to the living room. “You looked a bit jumpy just there.”

“Me? Yeah, I’m okay, I just…” As he held onto the nearby wall whilst he untied his laces and slipped off his shoes, he thought about how to put what he was experiencing into words without sounding paranoid. Once he was in just his socks, he sighed and chewed on his bottom lip, his own arms crossing so he mirrored Mark’s posture. “You’re gonna think I sound crazy, but the past few days I’ve kinda felt as if I’ve been… followed?”

Immediately Mark seemed to stiffen up, his shoulders tensing and he stepped away from the doorway. There was a crease between his eyebrows and Ethan watched as his tongue flicked out to swipe over his lips.

“Followed? Why d’you think you’re being followed?” Ethan was under no illusion that he knew Mark well, but his voice sounded different as he spoke those words. It was almost as if it was more strained and uncertain…

“I dunno, man, it’s hard to explain. I keep seeing something out of the corner of my eye whenever I’ve been out and about the past few days. When I got the bus home the day you came to the cafe, I could see it trailing the bus. The first time I saw it was when me and Margot locked up that night, just as I was heading to the bus stop. But it’s always  _ just _ in my peripherals, ya know?”

Mark’s eyes narrowed and Ethan felt a shiver trickle from the base of his neck all the way to the bottom of his tailbone at the sight of those dark red eyes zoned in on him, regardless of what the intention was behind that look.

“And you’ve not been getting any headaches? Your eyes don’t feel tired? It could be a symptom of eye strain.. You wear glasses sometimes, right?”

“How did you - oh right, you saw me at work,” Ethan reassured himself, nodding as he remembered Mark would have seen him wearing them when he visited the cafe. “I’ve thought about that too, but I’ve had no symptoms - no headaches, no tired eyes, no blurry vision... “ He gave a shrug and dropped his arms with a sigh, “I’m clueless. Maybe I’m going insane.” Letting out a giggle, he knew that Mark would be able to tell it wasn’t really an amused laugh.

“Do you feel safe?” Mark asked, taking a step closer to him, his eyes boring into Ethan’s own. “Is… whatever this is making you scared?”

Ethan could’ve been imagining it, but he felt like those questions had more weight to them than Mark was letting on, but he didn’t know how or why. It was something in Mark’s posture and how his voice formed the words that had his brain signalling that there was something noteworthy about the questions…

“I don’t feel like I’m in danger, if that’s what you mean,” Ethan replied, choosing his words somewhat...carefully. “I mean, surely if I was gonna be hurt it would’ve already happened, right?” He knew that sort of logic was pretty shaky, but he felt that if Mark agreed then he wouldn’t feel so crazy.

“Mm, not sure,” Mark said gruffly, stepping back again and lifting a hand to rub the hair at the nape of his neck as his gaze fell away from Ethan’s. “You have a taser, don’t you? You should keep it with you at all times.”

“I have been.” Ethan nodded and offered a small smile, “Besides, I haven’t seen it at all today, so maybe it was… nothing?” He hoped so anyway. Regardless of if he felt safe or not, it would be a relief for this whole thing to just stop. It would be one less worry constantly on his mind.

Mark took a few moments to reply before he slowly lifted his head, his pupils noticeably larger and the red of his irises had only deepened, resembling the colour of blood so much that Ethan felt goosebumps appear on the skin of his arms.

“I’m sure it’s nothing,” the vampire assured, his voice a deep rumble in his chest, and then he was turning and  _ stalking _ through the living room. “Do you want a drink or a snack?” he threw back over his shoulder as Ethan followed, albeit a lot slower and more careful. Something had come over Mark after they’d spoken about Ethan potentially being followed around and he wasn’t sure how to react to the change in the vampire’s behaviour.

“Nah, I’m good,” he replied quietly, knowing Mark would hear him, “Dude, are you okay? You’re the one being a bit… jumpy now.” He gave a lame giggle, his heart picking up speed just a little at the sight of the vampire now hunched over the breakfast bar in the kitchen, his hands gripping the edge of the surface so much that he could’ve sworn he heard it groan under the pressure. Ever so slowly, Ethan’s hand slipped back into his pocket and curled around the taser - he didn’t want to use it on Mark but you could never be too careful with vampires, especially thirsty ones.

“Get the dagger,” came the strained reply, the inhuman and predatory deep tone of voice coming from Mark making chills shoot along the intricate map of nerves in Ethan’s body. So he wasted no time in pacing over to the chest of drawers across the room, remembering from the depths of his mind that he needed to tread carefully when Mark was thirsty - and especially now he seemed to be in a worse state than he had been last week. His muscles were acting kind of jerky, twitching and stuttering as he fumbled for the key for the drawer he needed hanging on a keyring in his pocket - almost as if his body was innately responding to the sight of his one natural predator in the room showing signs of preparing to hunt… As the key slid into the lock and turned, clicking open, Ethan felt a sigh of relief escape his lips as the dagger came into view. Letting go of the taser in his pocket once more he reached in and wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the dagger, then pulled it out and pushed the drawer back in. His instincts somewhat calmer now that he had an appropriate weapon for self defence in his grip, he turned around with the intention of trying to calm Mark out of whatever state he’d worked himself into - only to find himself standing mere inches away from the vampire. As he took stock of Mark’s posture, his heart began racing when his gaze found those blood red eyes staring straight at him, almost unblinking. Only now, the pupils were blown so wide that they were like endless voids surrounded by a moat of molten blood.

“Mark?” Ethan breathed out, not realising how constricted his throat had become in the close proximity to his vampire partner who was clearly… going through something. He had no idea what though - he didn’t know any other vampires, didn’t know or understand their complex, animalistic behaviours.

At the sound of his voice, Mark blinked once, slowly, before a smile began to stretch his lips and he cocked his head to one side. And yet, his gaze never left Ethan, only flickering to various different points on his body - the healing bite mark on his neck, his mouth, his eyes and most notably, his… crotch. He couldn’t help but feel as if he was a tasty dish at Mark’s favourite restaurant, served up and ready to eat. And Mark was savouring the moment, enjoying the look and smell of the meal, before he took his first bite.

“Yes, Ethan?” 

God damnit, that voice was melted chocolate personified, wrapping around Ethan’s soul and body, trying to tempt him into being lulled into a false sense of security. He had to stay alert if he wanted to leave this house with his life intact. He would not be swayed by a beautiful voice or a gorgeous face - and body.

“How are you feeling?” Ethan asked, flexing his fingers just slightly around the dagger, not wanting his hand to stiffen up in the hopefully unlikely scenario that he’d have to use it.

“Hmm? Well, with you here looking as  _ delicious _ as ever, how could I be anything but… excited?” As Mark spoke those words, his gaze roamed all the way from Ethan’s feet, dragging up his body, then settled when their eyes met. There was something in the way he looked at him that had Ethan partly ready to run for his life but also partly inclined to stay and see if anything interesting happened. Which was  _ bad _ \- Margot would smack him upside the head if she knew he was having these thoughts whilst in the near vicinity of a  _ very _ thirsty vampire who was definitely acting… odd. After clearing his throat, watching Mark’s gaze fall to his neck when he did so, Ethan spoke up again.

“Well, how about we go sit down? I came here for you to feed, remember? I think once you’ve fed you’ll feel, uhh, back to normal…”

With those words, a rumbling sound echoed from deep within Mark’s chest and Ethan blinked as he watched the vampire step even closer - barely six inches spanned the gap between them now. He would’ve backed off a little except the chest of drawers was behind him so he was kind of… in a corner, as the saying goes.

“Feeding does sound like a  _ wonderful _ idea, Ethan…”

Jesus, why did he have to say his name like that? As if he was whispering it reverently, hallowed and precious like a prayer to the heavens above.

“Great,” Ethan forced a smile onto his face, then jutted his chin in the direction of the sofa, “Shall we?”

“Mmm, we shall,” Mark purred, “I’d just… like a look at your bite wound.” Without waiting for a reply from Ethan he leaned in and his face came close, their eyes never faltering in their locked gaze. They stayed like that for a few moments, Ethan’s breathing becoming faster by the second despite his best efforts to calm himself because he knew that Mark would be able to sense his pulse and it might trigger his predator instincts to kick in worse than they had already. However, when Mark finally broke their unspoken stalemate to look at the still-healing bite wound on his neck, Ethan allowed himself the time to take a few deep breaths, his eyes closing for a brief moment. When he opened them, Mark’s face had moved back in front of his own, so close that if he was human Ethan would’ve felt his breath ghosting across his skin. “I’d like to suggest that I bite you in a different place this time since the bite from last time is still healing… would that be satisfactory? I don’t want to reopen a tender, sensitive wound and cause you unnecessary pain…”

Ethan was afraid that this would happen - not afraid, exactly, since other areas of the body weren’t any different pain-wise, but… he didn’t want to make a fool of himself if Mark decided he wanted to bite an area more intimate. Which he had a feeling he was going to suggest, if his current behaviour was anything to go by.

“Where would you wanna bite?” he asked, voice barely more than a whisper of a breath.

His hunch was only confirmed when he watched a smirk slowly pull at the right corner of Mark’s lips, and the pit of Ethan’s stomach dropped, heat pooling and bubbling there at the bad,  _ dangerous _ thoughts that the vampire’s gaze conjured into his mind.

“The inside of the thigh is… quite delicious and much less painful,” Mark continued to purr, not moving away from the close proximity he had to Ethan, “In fact, it  _ can _ be somewhat pleasurable - for both the vampire and human involved.”

So there it was. Mark’s intentions for feeding and whatever the hell else beyond that were now laid out clearly for them both to see. His cards were on the table. Only… this wasn’t Mark. This was thirsty as hell Mark who was clearly affected by extreme lack of blood in ways that Ethan had never experienced before. But why was he being so affected this time? He’d said that feeding once a week was usually fine for him. Something was going on, that was for sure.

“So? What do you think, Ethan? May I have permission to feed from the inside of your thigh?” Mark’s voice was still a rumbling purr, except it had a faint edge of amusement lining it, as if he knew Ethan’s current train of thought.

“I, uh…” he started, before swallowing in order to get some moisture into his mouth, “Would it help you? To feed there? Is it better than the other options?”

“It’s the option that would please me most right now,” Mark replied, head tipping to the side in consideration of Ethan’s response, “Nothing would please me more, in fact.”

Ethan took a deep breath. Squared his shoulders. Held up the dagger for Mark to see.

“If I feel the tiniest bit unsafe, I will use this. Got it?”

The smirk on Mark’s lips spread into a wide grin, his fangs reflecting the last dregs of sunlight peeking in through the windows.

“I assure you, Ethan, the last thing you’ll feel is unsafe. The dagger will be forgotten and unnecessary within moments of me sinking my teeth into your thigh,” came the pleased and confident reply.

“Okay.” Ethan nodded at the sofa once more. “I’ll go get comfortable and you can draw the curtains. I don’t wanna be on show for the whole world to see.”

“I wouldn’t want that either.” Mark let his gaze roam down Ethan’s body once more before he reached a hand out to hold his chin between his thumb and forefinger, making him meet his gaze. Ethan didn’t flinch or resist, more curious as to where Mark’s thought process was going at this point. “I don’t want anyone else to watch as I feed from you. This is only for you and me. No. One. Else.”

A full body shudder rocked through Ethan’s entire being and he inwardly cursed himself for his obvious reactions to Mark’s words and actions because the vampire offered a knowing smirk, eyes glittering as he surveyed Ethan in his grasp.

“I’ll close the curtains,” Mark purred, then finally released him so he could move across the room, wrenching the curtains across all of the windows so there was no chance of anyone from the outside world getting a look at what was going to happen next. 

Ethan, meanwhile, took a long, deep and steadying breath as he walked over to the sofa. He set the dagger down on the cushion in front of him, making sure to not let it out of his sight, then undid the button of his jeans and slowly pulled the zipper down. Glancing over his shoulder at the vampire - now feeling a teensy bit self conscious of himself beneath his clothes considering how gorgeous Mark was - he watched as he gathered the necessary cleaning supplies from the kitchen. He had to pull himself together… Mark clearly wanted this, regardless of if he was in his right mind or not, so that meant he obviously found Ethan at least  _ somewhat _ attractive. It’s not as if he thought himself to be gross or wildly unattractive, but in comparison to the unearthly beauty rooting around in the kitchen? It was hard to feel super confident. Well, whatever he did or didn’t think of himself, he had to get these jeans off quick because he sure as hell didn’t want to take them off whilst Mark watched - that’d be  _ far _ more intimidating, as well as highly suggestive. Shaking his head at himself, he wrenched the waistband down over his hips and pulled the denim down and off, roughly folding the jeans into a pile and laying them on the arm of the sofa when he was done. He also took off his socks just because it felt right to do so with no trousers on. As he thought about it, there was also no good way to sit in such a state of half-undress, so he went with his usual pose of comfort - legs crossed and hands resting on his knees, one hand grasping the dagger once more. Within moments of him settling, Mark was approaching the sofa with a tray full of cleaning supplies. It was weird, how just minutes ago he’d been the perfect image of an apex predator, now here he was acting like any other considerate, totally normal human being. Perhaps it was all part of the hunt or was it… seduction? Ethan wasn’t sure which of the two he was more comfortable being on the receiving end of right now.

“Are we feeling comfortable?” Mark murmured, his eyes raking over the exposed flesh of the bottom half of Ethan’s body as he moved to set the cleaning supplies on the coffee table.

“Yep - I’m totally underdressed right now but that’s okay,” Ethan deflected the question, giving a short laugh and avoiding meeting Mark’s gaze. Instead he looked at his hands. He wondered if the vampire was unsure of how to respond to the sarcastic reply, given that there was silence in the room for a good few moments. But then…

“Maybe this’ll help,” replied Mark, a hint of amusement in his voice. 

When Ethan looked up, his eyes widened and he felt heat spread across his face - Mark thought that helping him to feel more comfortable meant him taking off his shirt and revealing his muscled chest and mouth-watering, defined abs.

“How is that supposed to help?!” Ethan almost whined, lifting his free hand to gesture to Mark’s chest and he no doubt had a look of despair on his face which had Mark tip his head back and howl with laughter.

“I thought that if we were both in the same state of undress, you wouldn’t feel so out of place,” Mark explained, shrugging and moving to sit next to Ethan on the sofa.

Ethan grumbled wordlessly, pointedly not looking at the vampire next to him since the sight of that sculpted, tanned chest had his heart pounding and his mouth drying up.

“Thanks, I guess,” he mumbled, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye and offering a wry smile, “So, how d’you wanna do this? Do you want me to lay down, or…?”

“I think you should stay sat where you are, and I can just kneel down in front of you on the floor,” Mark said as he moved to do just that.

Ethan’s eyes widened as Mark slid to the floor in front of him and used his hands to spread Ethan’s thighs apart slowly but with intent. The vampire’s eyes gleamed as he surveyed the smooth, fleshy skin of his inner thighs and Ethan swallowed hard, shifting on the sofa to get more comfortable. What was Mark thinking? What was going through his head? Was it just the thirst right now? Or was there a sliver of physical attraction? Surely that must have been the motivation behind wanting to feed from this particular part of Ethan’s body - there were plenty other spots that a vampire could draw plenty enough blood from to sate their thirst. As Mark moved closer between Ethan’s spread legs, his heart only sped up faster. The sight of this beautiful creature knelt before him with a hungry gleam in his eyes was a more lustful sight than any wet dream or fantasy he’d ever had in his life.

“I’d like to bite you now,” Mark said, his voice a deep timber, rumbling and tickling down each inch of Ethan’s spine.

“Go for it,” Ethan breathed, then frowned at how desperate he sounded, swallowing and clearing his throat, “I’m ready.”

Blood red eyes flicked up to meet his gaze and Mark’s mouth stretched into a predatory grin, fangs on show unabashedly. His hands began smoothing along Ethan’s thighs, each of his fingers rough on his sensitive skin and it had goosebumps rising to his flesh. As they neared closer to his crotch, Ethan’s breath came quicker and more shallow - he tried his hardest to school his expression into something neutral and think of anything besides the beautiful vampire feeling up his thighs, but his brain wasn’t having any of it. There was no way he was missing out on experiencing this, especially as both hands curled around his upper thighs now, thumbs caressing his skin in circles. Shit, he was really failing at remaining impassive to this - he could pretty much  _ feel _ his blood rushing from other areas of his body straight to the bulge between his legs. And there was no way that Mark  _ wouldn’t _ notice. Hell, his face was going to be  _ right _ down there.

“Don’t hide yourself from me,” came the delicious purr from the vampire causing all of this. Once again, their eyes met and Ethan bit his bottom lip as Mark didn’t break their gaze whilst leaning down to mouth at the pulse point on the inside of his left thigh. His tongue slipped out, pressing flat to the now-heated skin and Ethan let out a shaky breath at the feeling. He couldn’t help but imagine what that mouth and tongue would feel like -  _ no _ , he stopped himself. Not now. Maybe not ever. Mark needed to feed and that’s all this was for. This wasn’t about him getting off inside his vampire partner’s mouth. As much as the picture his mind offered to him had his dick twitching with interest… “I’d like to see how you react,” Mark murmured, pulling away from his skin only centimetres, “When I bite you here. So hold nothing back. I want to see everything.” With that, he grazed his fangs teasingly against the patch of skin he’d just licked before biting down and sinking them deep beneath the surface.

Ethan gave a soft grunt of pain and his free hand moved to instinctively rest on Mark’s shoulder. The vampire seemed to register his touch because a growl sounded low in his throat and he began gulping down the blood that he was drawing from Ethan’s body. Despite him feeding, Mark still didn’t break their locked gazes and Ethan felt his body grow hot under the intense stare. Just like last week, as Mark continued to drink, letting out pleased growls every other moment, Ethan began slipping into a daze that had his head swimming with urges to worship Mark and bear his soul to the vampire, to let him devour his very being. Mark shifted ever closer when Ethan’s hand moved to the dark curls atop his head, his fingers sliding through the soft strands and at one point when Mark  _ moaned _ Ethan felt a blast of pleasure rocket down to the pit of his belly and heat flared at the base of his dick. Tipping his head back, Ethan let out a moan himself in response and fisted his hand in Mark’s hair, his fingers tugging at the silky strands. He couldn’t bring himself to look at Mark in that moment, but he felt the vampire’s fingers dig into his thighs and Ethan knew he was going to have bruises there afterwards. The heat in his dick just kept on pulsing and he felt himself growing harder until his erection was straining against his underwear to the point where it was a little painful. All of a sudden, Mark’s fangs left his leg and Ethan’s head shot up to stare down at the vampire in surprise. He could tell that he probably looked like a lustful wreck, but all he focused on right then was Mark’s eyes boring into his, as well as his own blood dripping from his fangs and staining the corners of his lips and his chin.

“I want to touch you,” came the raspy request from Mark and Ethan’s throat bobbed when he swallowed, knowing exactly what the vampire was asking. And Ethan wanted nothing more, besides to feed Mark and praise and worship him for the beautiful creature he was. He nodded his consent, awaiting the touch he was craving, only to feel one of Mark’s hands squeeze his right thigh harder. “I need to hear you say it.”

Ethan’s chest squeezed, so at odds with the feelings going on in the lower half of his body. But there was no way he could ignore how reassuring it felt to know that Mark was all about consent even when he was battling against at least one of the most primal instincts in his animalistic nature that a lot of vampires struggled to control.

“You can touch me. I  _ want _ you to touch me,” Ethan murmured, fixing Mark with a stare of intent and he let his hand drop from where his fingers had been bunched in his hair. He watched the vampire stiffen for a moment, as if those words had been more than he expected, but then another grin stretched across his face once more.

“That’s what I wanted to hear,” Mark purred, his eyes no longer an alarming shade of bright red but there was still a hint of something dark and dangerous about them that only made Ethan shudder, his dick twitching again. The hand gripping his right thigh moved with purpose towards his crotch, then cupped the straining hard-on in his pants. Ethan let out a shaky breath and his eyes fluttered as Mark’s hand squeezed tight, sending sparks of pleasure coursing up through his dick and to the pit of his belly which was already bubbling with fiery heat. “Let me see it all,” Mark murmured, his voice low and commanding which resonated deep in Ethan’s very core, “I want to know that you like it.”

“Yes,” Ethan breathed, licking his lips as he watched Mark let go of both thighs now only to grab the waistband of his underwear and tug them down. Ethan shifted to lift his hips and Mark smirked, pleased at the sight, as he finally chucked the garment aside and beheld him, completely naked below the waist. When he saw Mark’s pupils blow even wider, if that was possible, a wave of confidence overcame him and he let go of the dagger, tucking the handle under one of his legs so he knew it was still there, and then pulled his shirt up and over his head, throwing it somewhere to the floor.

“You’re spoiling me, Ethan,” Mark whispered, his eyes taking their time in raking down his chest and settling on his hard-on. One of the most beautiful sights Ethan had seen came next, as Mark licked his lips slowly and reached out his left hand to curl his fingers around his dick. Ethan’s breath stuttered at the warmth of the grip and how lovely those rough fingers felt against his straining hardness. And  _ then _ Mark moved his hand up, slow at first, the foreskin sliding with his grip, before he let his fingers slide back down again. The pace of it was maddening, and Ethan fought hard not to squirm, a hand moving to grip Mark’s shoulder and he just about remembered to grab the dagger from beneath his leg again - just in case. Mark watched him the whole time, faint red-tinted eyes dark with lust and clearly still a little thirsty, but he moved his hand up and down once more, this time a fraction faster than before. Ethan’s thighs clenched, quivering with pleasure as he groaned and tipped back his head just a little. “Beautiful,” Mark murmured, and Ethan felt his stomach jump at those words in that tempting voice, then felt a kiss being pressed to the hollow of his throat, then to his healing bite from last week. They were slow, lingering kisses, filled with promises of pleasure and worship. Head tipping back up when he felt Mark’s presence move backwards, Ethan saw the vampire smirk before lowering his head, his mouth trailing kisses and small nips to the hot, sensitive skin of the inner thigh he’d been feeding from previously. His hot, wet tongue followed each kiss and bite, before he then sank his fangs into his thigh again. Ethan groaned as Mark immediately began to stroke his dick faster as he drank again, the grip around his erection tightening.

“Fuck,” Ethan ground out between heavy breaths, the hand on Mark’s shoulder once again lifting to tangle in his hair and tug hard. A growl from the vampire sounded in response and, as he continued jerking him off, Ethan’s hips began to roll, chasing the heavenly friction of Mark’s hand. He was unsure if the lightheadedness he was beginning to feel was due to his blood leaving his brain and culminating in his dick or Mark’s feeding, but either way his head was spinning. However, he was far too deep into the pleasure washing over him that he couldn’t seem to care. Mark’s hand was like heaven, twisting the grip when he reached the head of his dick and tugging at his foreskin  _ just right _ that his stomach swooped with every flick of the vampire’s wrist. “Mark,” he whined, his head once more tilting back, eyes closing and his back arched as his hips began stuttering, no longer able to keep to the unrelenting pace Mark’s hand was setting.

Once more he felt the fangs leave his thigh, only to feel them tease at his hips, dragging along the soft skin there - all the while, Mark left a trail of kisses in their wake, hot and messy in his eagerness to get as much of Ethan’s body covered, it seemed. Ethan felt the space on the sofa between his legs dip and he opened his eyes to see Mark resting one knee on the edge of the cushion, his free hand braced on the sofa behind Ethan as his other kept up the almost-painful stroking of his dick. Ethan let go of the dagger - his foggy brain to blame for the momentary lapse in judgement there - only to reach up for Mark’s jaw. The vampire watched his face hungrily, intrigue written plain as day across his face, and then Ethan was pulling Mark down closer until they were only inches apart. “Wanna cum,” he muttered, giving a groan when he felt Mark’s hand squeeze him tight in response.

“Then do so,” Mark purred, all traces of red gone from his eyes now, only the dark pools of endless night which had Ethan feeling like he was falling through the universe for eternity, “I want to be the one to make you come undone.” Eagerly Ethan leaned up at the same time that Mark leaned down, their mouths coming together, crushing in their combined intensity, and this time it was Mark who moaned as Ethan licked into his mouth, ignoring the taste of his own blood there. He reached down between them to begin tugging at Mark’s jeans, unbuttoning and unzipping them. The vampire took the hint and helped him out, shucking them from his legs somewhere across the room, and then his underwear followed suit moments later. Clambering up to straddle Ethan’s hips, Mark was a sight to behold above him, dark eyes wild and wanting and his tanned, toned body hard and quivering with his need for him. For  _ him _ . And now there were no barriers between them, no annoying clothes, just the two of them, bare skin touching skin and Ethan felt like he might explode if he didn’t get to touch Mark’s dick.

“Please, can I have you?” Ethan whispered, setting his hands on Mark’s hips and enjoying the taught, smooth skin there.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Mark replied, smirking as he leaned down to kiss Ethan again, then lowered himself into his lap and began rutting his hips. The instant, delicious friction had Ethan seeing stars behind his eyes - or was that the blood loss? - and he reached between them to wrap a hand around Mark’s dick. He gave a groan, slowly beginning to stroke him, savouring the feel of the hard, heated erection which belonged to the gorgeous vampire above him. He hoped one day he’d be able to have it in his mouth, but for now he just wanted to enjoy the moment and not ruin it with thoughts that they might never do anything like this again. As he continued to tug his hand up and down, squeezing his grip tighter, Mark let out a groan and he laid a hand back on the sofa behind Ethan, the other sliding into his hair and tugging hard. Ethan grunted, head tipping back in response, and Mark chased his mouth, continuing the kiss and tasting his mouth thoroughly. Ethan enjoyed feeling like he was being devoured, like Mark was so eager to claim his entire being and never let anyone else have a taste. And he wouldn’t mind if that were the case… Whilst that was a jarring thought, his brain was sidetracked by Mark’s hand wrapping around both their dicks, as well as Ethan’s hand, and they now simultaneously stroked in the same rhythm. Ethan moaned, breaking from the kiss only to gasp for air, his panting breaths being swallowed up by Mark’s mouth, only centimetres from his. As they both tugged harder and faster, hips rocking and rutting together, they stared at each other, human and vampire, both becoming one in that moment. Ethan could feel the heat bubbling inside of him close to exploding, pushing against that tight lid of control, threatening to make him overspill into the world and lose himself.

“Mark,” he panted, his brows knitting together as he tried to hold himself back, enough to give a warning, “Mm’gonna…” It was all he could manage, but Mark understood, leaning down to press their foreheads together.

“Me too,” he murmured, voice strained and his eyes delving into Ethan’s very soul. “C’mon, Ethan, lemme see…” Their lips connected once more, all lips, teeth and tongues, and Ethan could feel himself dancing along the edge of euphoria. He just needed something to knock him off and send him tumbling into that ecstasy they were both chasing. Every other tug of his hand, Mark would squeeze their erections, and as they both leaked precum, it made the sliding of their dicks against each other just that little bit more delicious and mind-spinning. As they made out sloppily, Mark’s fangs grazed Ethan’s bottom lip and it had him shuddering, only then the vampire bit down lightly on his lip as he squeezed them both tighter than he had before in his fist, and Ethan gasped. The kiss broke as he tossed his head back, lights flashing behind his eyes when they closed, and white hot pleasure coursed through his body as he came over his and Mark’s hands.

“Fuck yeah,” Ethan groaned out as the pleasure kept working through his body, and at the back of his mind he registered that Mark had come too, if the hot, thick cum covering his stomach was anything to go by. And then there was also the soft breath of his name from Mark’s lips, lined with pleasure which had Ethan twitching with aftershocks of his orgasm. Only… his head didn’t feel good. When he tried to open his eyes, his vision was blurry and his head wouldn’t stop spinning. It was like he was on the teacups at Disneyland but they wouldn’t let him get off. Plus, his limbs felt like jelly and he had no energy to move. It suddenly occurred to him within the fog of his brain that the strenuous activity mixed with blood loss probably hadn’t been a good idea. “Mark, I don’t… feel so good…” As darkness closed in at the edges of his vision and he felt like he needed to lay down for a long nap, he heard Mark calling his name, but he was so tired all of a sudden and couldn’t concentrate on looking at the vampire long enough to notice the guilt and concern written across his face. A nice, long sleep would do him the world of good. And so, Ethan succumbed to the darkness, letting it tuck him in and sing him to the land of slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Felt the need to make a note here that Ethan has not died LOL just in case anyone panics. He's gonna be just fiiiiiine. If this chapter was a complete mess please let me know because I wrote the majority of it whilst going through some deep mental health problems and in the midst of a heatwave so yeahhhhh all the good stuff! Until next time :')


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *drops a stack of paper labelled 'the dawn of eternal devotion chapter 5' on your desk and promptly collapses in a messy heap on the floor*
> 
> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are very real people with real feelings and lives so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

When Ethan opened his eyes, his head spun. So he closed them again, not wanting to feel like the world was turning around him. But then when his eyes were closed, he noticed that he felt _tired_ , and not just the usual working-two-jobs-to-keep-his-head-above-water-tired, but bone deep exhaustion. What had happened? Was he sick? What had he done to make him feel like this so suddenly? He tried to take stock of himself without opening his eyes, mentally surveying every limb and checking how they felt. Every muscle felt both heavy and light at the same time… not good. He also felt pretty toasty, but he noted the weight of a blanket over him so it was likely due to being swaddled in that. Just as he was about to try opening his eyes again, he heard his name being uttered and it sounded as if he was under water. That was definitely also not good…

“...than? Buddy? D’you hear me?”

That voice… Ethan recognised it. A voice like molten chocolate, or a warm hug for your soul. Wait, he knew who that voice belonged to Mark. And like a dam had broken, the memories came flooding back to the forefront of his mind and with their arrival there came shooting pains behind his eyes. God, he really hoped that stopped soon. After taking a deep breath, waiting for the pains to recede, Ethan slowly cracked his eyes open once more, fighting against the immediate dizziness that made him want to sleep for the next few days until it was gone. But he forced himself to focus in on his immediate surroundings, glad for the dimly-lit room he was in, and saw Mark knelt on the floor in front of him. A flash of memory lit up his brain to when Mark had knelt before him to feed from his thigh, god knows when that was… how long had he been out?

“What time is it?” he muttered, flinching when the sharp pains behind his eyes returned as he spoke.

“Uh… it’s 8pm. You’ve been passed out a little under 5 minutes,” Mark replied, his hands hanging in the air in front of him, between them, as if he wanted to do something to help but wasn’t entirely sure what and perhaps didn’t want to startle Ethan by touching him when he was in such a vulnerable state. “How are you feeling? I was just about to call 911 because I was worried you were taking too long to come round.”

“I feel like I’ve been run over,” Ethan tried to explain, shifting in his spot on the sofa and giving a groan when his head span again, protesting the movement. “What happened? Did… we go too far?”

“I suspect so,” Mark said with a sigh, dropping his hands and letting his gaze fall to the floor. Through his shaky vision, Ethan noted the guilt on the vampire’s face and he hated that he was beating himself up for this. “I think I got too carried away and distracted by… what happened between us. I wasn’t careful enough, and for that I apologise.”

“Mark…” Ethan heaved out a deep sigh and tried lifting a hand to rub his face, but it took him a strangely long time to muster the strength and his fingers felt like they were full of pins and needles. “Look, it’s okay. You weren’t yourself, or at least I don’t think you were… You were acting kinda weird.”

“Yeah, that… I have no idea what happened and I’m so sorry, Ethan. That’s never happened to me before, in the five years I’ve been a vampire. I’m gonna go grab you some food to boost all of your vitals back up, okay, and then we can talk more. Be right back,” Mark reassured before tugging on his discarded pants and hopping up out of Ethan’s line of vision.

If he weren’t so light headed and sleepy and heavy all at once, Ethan would’ve easily been able to sit up and watch Mark prepare his snacks, but just the thought of so much movement made him feel nauseous. So, instead, he stayed put, focusing on keeping as still as possible until his head didn’t feel like he was doing cartwheels for eternity. As Mark worked away in the kitchen, Ethan slowly shuffled a hand beneath the blanket and he felt his face burn hot at the fact that he was still naked. God, he’d been so adamant since they met that this wasn’t going to happen, that they weren’t going to sleep together whilst they were in this contract. And yet here they were, dealing with the aftermath of just that. It was… not that he’d lost control of himself, but as they’d gotten closer during the feeding, he felt like it was just the natural thing to do. That it was the _right_ thing to do. Had Mark felt the same? He wasn’t entirely certain on the way that vampire minds worked when it came to mixing sex with feeding. Then again, Mark agreed that he hadn’t been himself during their session this evening - had something happened to affect his thirst? With a grunt of pain, Ethan stopped thinking too hard, feeling a headache beginning to form in the front of his head. Questions could come later, once he felt like he was safe from passing out again. Within a few minutes, Mark was back in front of him - he had a whole feast of snacks laid out on the tray he was carrying, a lot similar to the ones he’d prepared the week before, for their first feeding session.

“Hey, so I’ve got your snacks here, what do you wanna go for first?” Mark asked, kneeling down in front of him again and setting the tray down on the coffee table behind him. This was going to be embarrassing… Ethan didn’t even feel like he had the energy to hold any of the snacks as he ate them.

“Uh… maybe the juice? Have you, um, got a straw?” Ethan asked, face flushing pink at the realisation that crossed Mark’s face.

“Shit! Yeah, or… well, I can hold it for you if you want? Until you get your strength back? It’s the least I can do…” the vampire offered, rubbing the back of his neck as he watched Ethan.

“Whatever’s easiest,” Ethan tried a half-shrug, then heaved another sigh again, “This isn’t your fault, ya know that, right? I could’ve easily stopped this happening. Don’t beat yourself up, ‘kay?”

“Hmm,” Mark harrumphed (tak), clearly in disagreement, but didn’t offer up an argument. For that Ethan was grateful because he was in no state to start arguing. “Here, I’m gonna sit next to you so you don’t have to strain too much to drink.”

He got up off his knees and plonked down on the sofa next to Ethan, jostling the blanket covering him a bit, and then held out the glass of orange juice towards his mouth. Ethan gratefully didn’t have to move aside from opening his mouth, Mark angling the glass at the perfect angle so the liquid slid into his mouth without choking him. After a few moments, he held up a hand and Mark moved the glass away, letting Ethan swallow and take some breaths.

“Okay?” the vampire asked, his gaze seeming to map out every point on his face, probably looking for signs that Ethan wasn’t, in fact, okay.

“Yeah, all good,” Ethan replied, giving a small smile, “I’ll finish the rest of the glass then probably have some of your incredible hummus.” He offered a sheepish grin, to which Mark chuckled and shook his head.

“Right you are,” he smiled back, then lifted the glass once more to Ethan’s mouth so he could drink the rest of the contents. Once it was empty he reached out to set it back down on the tray, then lifted up the pot of hummus and side plate of carrot sticks and pita bread. “You wanna try these on your own?”

“Yeah, I’ll give it a go,” Ethan replied, shifting slightly and lifting a shaky hand to grab a carrot stick and dip it in the hummus before munching on it methodically. He avoided looking at anything in particular as he slowly ate through the hummus and dipping snacks, though he knew that Mark watched his every move. “So… what happened tonight? Like, obviously not _this_ ,” he emphasised, gesturing to his nude body beneath the blanket, “I mean, with you. I know we haven’t known each other very long but you were weird tonight.”

He waited for Mark to reply, and almost thought he wasn’t going to get an answer until he heard a sigh next to him. “Honestly, I’m not sure. Look, Ethan, ever since I first got a taste of your blood I haven’t felt myself. I don’t know how much you know about us, but sometimes a vampire can, uh, _connect_ with a human’s blood?”

“Connect how?” Ethan asked, eyebrows lifting towards his hairline. This was all news to him - he only knew the basics about vampire behaviours and he was sure that vampires probably found out all kinds of new things about themselves from time to time, just like humans.

“It’s like… a certain person’s blood can call to that vampire, if the connection is made. When we first met and I had that first sip, I knew your blood was the best I’d ever had, I’ll be honest. And because of that I began to get restless waiting for our first feeding session because I craved more. Only, it didn’t get better after the first feed,” Mark admitted, staring down at his clasped hands and rubbing one of his thumbs along the back of the other.

“What do you mean?” Ethan inhaled long and hard, wanting to relax himself in response to what seemed like an impending important confession from Mark, and therefore reduce his risk of passing out again.

“After the first feed, I struggled to stop myself from thinking about you and your blood. It became borderline obsessive…And, uh, this is probably where you’re gonna get freaked out. Maybe. I hope not, but-“

“But what, Mark?” Ethan asked, keeping his voice steady somehow, and he closed his eyes, not sure what he was possibly expected to freak out about or whether he even _would_ freak out. There was only one way he would find out.

“I can track where you are by listening out for your blood and your heartbeat,” Mark explained through a heavy exhale, “I’ve been able to since the first feed. And I started struggling to control the urges that were creeping up on me…”

Ethan’s brain, though still foggy, linked that admission to something that had been occurring to him recently - notably ever since their first feeding session. “It’s you?!” he blinked, finally turning his head to look Mark dead on, “You’re the one who’s been following me?” His heartbeat picked up speed to a gallop and he felt his head spinning again, which had him sighing and pressing a shaky hand to his forehead as he turned away from the vampire once more.

“Ethan, please try to relax,” Mark urged, and he felt a hand timidly rest on his shoulder which only had his heart racing all the more, though he wasn’t sure it was for a good reason this time. “Maybe we should talk about this tomorrow, when you’re rested?”

“I don’t even know if I wanna have this conversation,” Ethan mumbled, lifting his other hand so he could press his palms to his eyes and take a long, deep breath. “Why wasn’t I warned this could happen?”

“It’s in the contract under potential side effects,” he heard Mark say quietly next to him, which, for some reason, made irritation flare up inside him.

“What makes you think I had time to read the whole fucking contract, Mark?! And maybe _you_ can afford some fancy lawyer to read everything for you, but as I may have already mentioned, I’ve been a fraction away from drowning in debt since I got to LA,” he snapped, though the stress was definitely not good for him in this state since pain flared behind his eyes. He inhaled shakily, laying his hands in his lap. “I want to leave.”

“You can’t leave in this state!”

“Yes I can, and I will,” Ethan insisted, “I can’t stay here, my head feels like it’s gonna explode.”

“Which is why you shouldn’t be going anywhere,” Mark said, closer to him now, and he glanced over to look at the vampire who was leaning in, frowning at him with concern clearly in his eyes, “If it makes you feel better, you can stay in the guest room with Chica and keep the dagger with you in case you feel like I’m gonna be a danger to you. Hell, I can even call one of the few humans I’m friends with to come over if that would help you feel safe. _Please_ , Ethan. Just rest and you can go home tomorrow when you’re less likely to pass out again.”

Ethan crossed his arms now, a frown denting the space between his eyebrows, and he felt himself deflate gradually as exhaustion - as well as Mark’s logical words - began washing over him. He let out a heavy sigh, his jaw clenching in frustration, and he pointed a finger at the vampire. “I’ll stay until morning and as _soon_ as it’s light out, I’m going home. I need to think and I can’t do that here. Not now…”

“Okay,” Mark conceded, and he felt the sofa shift as the vampire stood and moved to the chest of drawers across the room. Ethan watched as he unlocked it and pulled out the dagger that he’d promised Ethan could keep with him through the night. When he walked back over towards him, holding out the dagger in offering, Ethan shook his head with a sigh, though he only just barely lifted his gaze from the floor.

“I don’t want that. I’m not gonna need it, Mark. I just… need to finish these snacks and then sleep. So, uh, I need to put some clothes on and get my head down…”

“You can wear a spare pair of my PJs if you like, and I’ll go clear some stuff off the bed in the guest room. One sec!” Mark locked the dagger back away before rushing off up the stairs, not leaving Ethan any time to protest at the pyjamas - although the only alternatives were sleeping naked (not something he wanted to do in the current situation) or in the clothes he’d come here wearing (kinda gross). He shook his head to himself and leaned forward to finish off the hummus, carrot sticks and pita bread whilst he waited for Mark to sort everything out. He’d cleared the bowl and was pretty much done eating a banana by the time the vampire reappeared in front of him, a pile of clothing in his hands. “Are you gonna be okay getting changed by yourself? Have the snacks helped?”

“I’ll give it a try and shout you if I need a hand,” Ethan mumbled, laying the banana skin down on the tray on the table and he reached out to take the pyjamas from Mark - the fact that his cheeks were burning at the thought of having to ask the vampire (who not long ago he’d had _sex_ with) to help him get into some clothes since he was too weak was mortifying but he pretended not to notice. Apparently Mark did too since he made no comment. Instead, all he did was nod and took the snack tray off to the kitchen to no doubt clear up the stuff Ethan had finished and maybe top up his glass of water. Ethan was grateful for the privacy, and he wasted no time in pulling the pyjama shirt down over his head and smoothed it over his chest. As he marvelled at the soft material, his nose picked up the unmistakable smell of Mark’s cologne and he huffed, willing himself to push past it. He shoved the blanket aside and grabbed his underwear from off the floor, pulling it on and, as quickly as possible in the this state, the pyjama bottoms soon slid on too. Even though the scent of Mark’s cologne was still prevalent and a little distracting, he cleared his throat and began folding the blanket up, setting it on the sofa beside him, and also did the same with his discarded clothes. Mark must have heard him since his head appeared around the corner, casting a wary glance at him.

“All good?” the vampire asked, even though it was obvious that Ethan was no longer naked.

“Yeah, come in,” Ethan replied as he slowly stood, holding onto the sofa cushion beneath him _just in case_. He didn’t want to fall flat on his face, after all. “Am I okay to, uh, head on up?”

Mark came to stand in front of him and he nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. There was no hiding the concern in his eyes but Ethan made no comment on it - he was too tired to have any deep and meaningful conversations right now.

“It’s the second door on the right, and there’s an en suite for you too - I’m gonna let Chica in from the back garden and she might scratch on the door if she smells you, but I’ll try and keep her away as much as possible.” Mark offered an apologetic smile, his head slightly tilted to the side as he spoke about his dog.

“It’s okay, I don’t stir that easily when I sleep,” Ethan replied as he gave a small smile, then he turned and pulled his phone out of his pocket in the pile of clothing on the sofa. “I’m gonna head up. Thanks for the PJs. Night.”

He headed for the stairs, just barely glancing at Mark and giving him a smile as the vampire wished him a pleasant sleep, and he made his way to the upper floor. Following Mark’s directions, he found the guest room and let out a long breath of relief to see that a clean, empty bed lay waiting all for him to sink into and forget the evening he’d just had. After closing the door behind him, he shuffled over to the ensuite and turned on the light, walking in and immediately splashing his face. As he leaned on his hands against the sink, staring at his reflection, he felt a wash of exhaustion cover his body. That decided his next course of action - turning the light off and closing the door again, he made his way over to the bed, only just taking the time to throw back the covers, dropping his phone onto the bedside table, before he flopped down onto the mattress.

* * *

He didn’t remember laying there in Mark’s guest bed trying to sleep, didn’t remember whether Chica had scratched at his door or not. The last thing that Ethan could vividly picture in his mind from the night before was the back of his eyelids after he’d collapsed into bed. He really must’ve been tired deep down to his core.

Regardless, the sleep had helped a lot. He no longer felt like he was underwater, no longer was his head spinning and no more pins and needles all over his body. Yeah, he had a bit of a headache and his mouth was dry, but aside from that he felt pretty rested. Though he glanced over at the window and through a gap in the curtains he saw that a sliver of sunlight was shining brightly onto the floor.

“Shit,” he grunted, sitting up and scrubbing a hand through his hair with a sigh. He stood from the bed and stretched his arms above his head, feeling the satisfaction of his muscles stretching out to prepare for the day. Just as he was about to contemplate what he was going to say to Mark when he headed downstairs, he froze and lifted his arm to look at his watch. The time read 10:41 - he was supposed to be at the cafe ready for his shift over two and a half hours ago! He flopped back down onto the bed and pressed his hands to his face, heaving a long sigh. “Fuck it,” he muttered, deciding silently that he’d just have to call in sick to work for the day - hell, he’d never done it since he’d started working there so he figured they wouldn’t be too mad. He reached for his phone next to the bed and cringed at the missed calls that flashed up on the screen, then unlocked it and tapped the screen to return the call.

_“Good morning, LA Java Loft, Margot speaking, how can I help?”_

“Margot! Thank god it’s you. Listen, I can’t come into work today. I’m so so sorry to leave you in shit like this, but I had an emergency last night and I _totally_ overslept.”

_“Ethan? God, don’t be sorry, are you okay? I tried calling you so many times. What happened?”_

“I, uh… okay, so I’m at Mark’s right now-“

_“Mark as in_ Mr Beefcake vampire _Mark?!”_

He hoped she could hear him rolling his eyes through the phone.

“ _Yes_ , Margot. Basically I passed out when he was feeding from me - I’m _fine_ before you freak out - and was so exhausted last night I stayed here. I don’t know why my alarm didn’t go off, but I legit only just woke up. I’m so so _so_ sorry.”

_“Wait wait wait… did you_ sleep _in his_ bed _?! I have_ so _many questions dude, oh my god! I can’t - oh shit, sorry Eth I gotta go, customer! I’ll text you in a bit, don’t worry about today, just rest and I’ll see you next week, ‘kay? Bye!”_

With that, the line went dead and Ethan’s phone returned to the front page of his apps. He stared at it for a few moments, trying to figure out just what the hell had happened during that conversation. Margot seemed to be more excited at the thought of him potentially sleeping in Mark’s bed than being worried about his health, considering he’d _passed out_ the night before. Wait til she heard the full story and realised that if he _had_ slept in his bed it would be nothing compared to what really happened… Well, now that that was out of the way, he had to face the awkward and possibly uncomfortable conversation that he’d no doubt have with Mark downstairs. As he was about to get up from the bed, he heard footsteps on the stairs and within moments there was a knock at the door. That awkward conversation was apparently going to happen sooner rather than later, it seemed…

“Come in,” he called, watching as the door swung open a second later.

“Good morning,” Mark greeted with a small, careful smile as he stepped slowly into the room. Ethan licked his lips, unable to stop himself from tracing the sight of the vampire in the sparse morning light coming in through the gap in the curtains. He looked _good_. Better than usual, if that was even possible. The vampire looked as if his skin was gleaming and his hair was soft-looking and shiny. And Ethan definitely did _not_ spend a few seconds staring at his lips… lips that had been on his own last night. With a gulp, willing away those dangerous memories, Ethan focused in on the vampire since he was trying to talk to him. “How’re you feeling?”

“Better!” Ethan chirped, offering a small smile, “You look… better too. Feeding really does wonders for you, I’m guessing?”

“Gee, do I really look that bad normally?” Mark said, his tone teasing, and there was a hint of a grin upon his face. He crossed his arms over his chest and leant against the doorframe, and Ethan internally screamed at the fact that the vampire he’d slept with last night was flirting with him whilst Ethan sat in Mark’s guest bed in _said vampire’s_ PJs, a fresh bite on the inside of his thigh. Yeah, it was a pretty fucking messy situation to be in.

“That’s not what I meant,” Ethan rolled his eyes, though he smiled a little more and then puffed up his cheeks as he toyed with the idea of starting the conversation they both needed to have, “Wanna sit down?” He patted the space next to him, inviting Mark over. Not that he really needed inviting, it was his house, after all.

Mark appeared to either sense the attempt at seriousness on Ethan’s part, or he’d come up to see him with the same intentions, since he nodded, crossing the room and sitting next to Ethan on the bed. He shuffled backwards so he was leaning against the wall and watched as Ethan did the same. If they were physically comfortable, perhaps that would help ease the tension of the topic of conversation.

“I’m sorry for the way I acted last night,” Mark started off, hands clasped in his lap and he glanced across at Ethan, “I’m not proud of it. You don’t deserve to have to deal with that.”

“It’s okay,” Ethan said honestly, smiling over at Mark to show he meant it - and he did. He knew that Mark hadn’t been in his right mind, and that’s not how he’d usually acted around him. He didn’t claim to be an expert on vampires, but there were all sorts of weird behaviours that they had and were discovering about themselves, so Mark probably wasn’t even one hundred percent sure as to what had happened. “You couldn’t help it.”

“No, but that’s the thing - when I first tasted your blood at the embassy, I had a feeling deep down that this could happen, that I’d make a connection with your blood. And yet I told myself that it would be fine and if it happened I’d be able to control it. I didn’t think it _would_ happen, I just knew that I wanted you to be my partner because, well, like I said you’re the best I’ve ever tasted… And for that I’m sorry…”

As he spoke, Mark had looked away, his gaze falling to his lap and Ethan noted the way his thumbs circled each other. The vampire was clearly nervous about how he was going to react to his admission, and for him that made all the difference in his apology. Even if biologically, and partly mentally, he was a vampire, there was some of Mark that was still human and humans always made mistakes. Ethan had made hundreds, and he knew that if he was in Mark’s shoes he’d want the other person to be understanding and forgiving.

“Look, all I’m gonna say is that I don’t blame you for anything and we all make mistakes - surely if you were gonna connect with my blood it would happen with the first taste, right? So whether or not we went ahead with the partnership, you would’ve been affected by my blood. Right?”

“Pretty much, yeah,” Mark answered, finally dragging his gaze away from his hands and he looked Ethan in the eyes, cringing apologetically, “I’m sorry, I just assumed you knew the risk of that happening and were happy to go ahead with everything…”

“No, don’t apologise for that,” Ethan sighed, shaking his head and chewing on his bottom lip. Heat began flooding his cheeks when he caught Mark’s eyes taking in the sight of his tongue swiping over his lip to soothe the damage his teeth had just made. _No, Ethan, focus_ , he warned himself, knowing that those kinds of thoughts are partly to blame for the mess that had happened last night. “It’s, uh, not your fault that I didn’t read all of the terms and conditions of the contract. I was desperate for the money when I signed up for the programme and thought that a government-controlled programme, even a vampire one, couldn’t get away with shady business so I just trusted everything without reading it.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, there truly isn’t any _shady business_ in the terms and conditions,” Mark responded with an amused grin, “It’s essentially just generic contract stuff, the only main points otherwise are to do with side effects on the vampire and/or human’s behaviour. Such as _this_ situation,” he said with an emphatic gesture of his hand between the two of their bodies.

“Speaking of that…” Ethan began, pulling his legs up to his chest and wrapping his arms around his knees, “Uh… I wasn’t intending to, ya know, sleep with you. Not that - ! Um, I mean, like I liked it. _Really_ liked it, but uh… it’s complicated.” He huffed out a heavy breath of irritation at himself for not being able to coherently speak his thoughts. Talking about sex with someone he’d just _had sex with_ was not one of his strong points.

“What’re you trying to say, Ethan?” Mark asked, and when Ethan glanced at him, his face was relaxed, there was an encouraging smile upon his lips, and his eyes held no hint of amusement in them. He genuinely just wanted Ethan to have the chance to say what he felt. For that, Ethan was both immensely grateful but also flawed by - a lot of guys could be real assholes when it came to any potential hints that their sexual partner didn’t want to sleep with them again.

“I’m _trying_ to say that I never intended to make this partnership complicated… I was fully focused on carrying out my part of the contract, being here when you needed to feed from me, and that’s it. I’m sorry too…”

“You have nothing to apologise for, Ethan,” he heard Mark say by his side, since he was more than happy to study the loose thread at the bottom of one of the legs of Mark’s PJs rather than keep up eye contact throughout this topic of conversation. But, upon hearing his gentle tone of voice, Ethan risked a glance up at him and felt his heart thud. Looking down at Mark’s mouth, there was a bright smile there and then he lifted his gaze to study the whole of his face. There was no hint of malicious feelings there. “This isn’t going to affect our partnership. Sex doesn’t always have to make things complicated, and sometimes it’s nothing more than just fun, nothing else. Right?”

Despite the reassurance, Ethan felt a twist deep in the pit of his stomach, but he nodded regardless, giving a small smile of his own. “Right,” he answered, “These things happen, I guess. Feeding’s pretty intimate, so I can see how it could easily lead to sex.”

“Exactly.” Mark nodded and Ethan watched him lick his lips as they stared at each other. And then his lips stretched into a small grin and Ethan knew he was about to blush from head to toe, if that grin was anything to go by. “Though it helps my ego a _lot_ to know that you think I’m hot.”

“Oh _god_ ,” Ethan mumbled, pressing his hands to his face, which was indeed burning red like he’d predicted it would.

“Hey, that’s _just_ what you sounded like last-“

“Maaaark, stop!” Ethan whined, lifting his hands away only to glare at the vampire, though it was half-hearted since he couldn’t truly be mad at him for his weird way of trying to lighten the mood.

“Nope, definitely didn’t say _that_ \- rather the opposite.” With a wicked grin, Mark was at the door and easily dodged the pillow that Ethan threw in his direction. He tutted and picked it up, pretending to dust it off before chucking it back on the bed. “This is the thanks I get for making you cum, feeding you and letting you stay over? Well, I suppose I’d better not make you breakfast if you’re ungrateful…” The vampire leaned against the doorframe once more, though he pretended to examine his nails with a smile threatening to spill across his face, whilst Ethan spluttered and stewed in embarrassment across the room.

“Fuck you,” was all Ethan managed to grumble, standing from the bed and trying not to act like a petulant teenager as he approached Mark. “ _You_ were the one who made me stay over, remember?”

The vampire finally looked at him and apparently found the look on Ethan’s face hilarious because he began laughing, a wide grin plastered across his lips and he tipped his head back as if telling the whole world that Ethan Nestor was hilariously embarrassed because Mark was teasing him about them sleeping together last night.

“I’m so glad you find this so funny, but I didn’t see you laughing when I got naked for you last night,” Ethan retorted, crossing his arms and trying so hard not to pout.

Though his statement appeared to work, since Mark’s laughter dwindled and instead he simply grinned at Ethan, wiping his eyes free of the tears that had gathered there as he’d giggled. “You got me there.” He shrugged and then nodded towards the stairs, “I wasn’t joking about breakfast though, I was gonna make eggs. Want some? I’m assuming you’re not going to work today.”

“Yeah, that’d be good thanks,” Ethan said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck, “I feel like I’ve been a massive burden though…”

“You’re not,” Mark said immediately, looking at him and freezing him in place with the intensity of his stare, “You could _never_ be a burden to me. Always remember that.”

“Uh… sure, thanks, Mark,” Ethan said, miraculously managing not to stutter his way through the simple sentence under the focus of such intensity.

The vampire nodded, then he began walking to the stairs, “Let’s get cooking, shall we?”

Ethan smiled and followed down to the kitchen, and they settled into an easier flow of conversation as they made breakfast together - Mark had tried insisting that Ethan sit down and rest, but Ethan was just as stubborn as him, managing to convince him he’d rested enough and wanted to help. And somehow, Ethan didn’t fuck any of it up - when they sat at the breakfast bar to eat their eggs, the first mouthful had him groaning appreciatively. As if sensing an oncoming sexual comment from the vampire next to him, he shot Mark a warning side-eyed glare, earning a snicker of laughter and a wink in return. In the midst of the quiet period that settled over them, Ethan felt the need to bring up another topic of conversation that they hadn’t quite managed so far. Not properly, anyway.

“So… just to clarify, you _have_ been following me lately, right?” he asked between bites of food.

Mark’s reply didn’t come straight away, in fact there was a period of uncertain silence after Ethan’s question, as if the vampire didn’t want to acknowledge his actions. Ethan couldn’t blame him for that, it must’ve been embarrassing to be subjected to animalistic behaviours that you hadn’t experienced before. Eventually, though, he spoke up.

“Yeah, I have.”

Ethan looked over and noticed that Mark’s jaw was clenched and he was avoiding his gaze, eyes trained on the plate in front of him.

“Mark, it’s okay,” Ethan tried to reassure him, voice quiet as if he was trying to calm down a frightened animal. In some ways, that was kinda true.

“No. It’s not. Ethan, I’ve essentially been _stalking_ you and that’s _not_ okay. No matter how we sugar coat it, I’m invading your privacy. It needs to stop.”

“Look, I’m not gonna lie and say it’s totally normal. But it’s not exactly hurting anyone, is it?” Trying to keep up this courageous resolve he had to finish their uncomfortable conversation, Ethan took another mouthful of eggs to steel himself.

“It’s not that. If we don’t nip it in the bud before it gets too bad, and it’s _already_ bad by my standards since it shouldn’t be happening at all, then it’s going to become dangerous. Not necessarily for you, but for those around you.”

“What do you mean?” Ethan asked quietly, willing Mark to look at him, or at least look up from the table and not look like he wanted to break the breakfast bar in half.

“The longer we allow this behaviour to slide, the more possessive I’m going to become,” Mark stated flatly, finally letting his gaze lift and settle, locked onto Ethan’s.

“You mean, like, possessive of _me_?” Ethan’s voice was quiet, but due to the silence in the room and the tension radiating off the vampire next to him, it felt like it was overly loud in his ears.

A short nod came from Mark in response and Ethan mentally facepalmed at himself for his body’s immediate reaction to the thought of Mark being possessive of him - blood rushed to his cheeks and he felt a shiver trickle down his spine. Yeah, it was kind of hot but it _shouldn’t_ be in this kind of situation, especially when Mark was clearly uncomfortable with the thought.

“Well… then what do you suggest we do?” It was no use Ethan trying to come up with any solutions since he only had the bare minimum education of vampires that schools were required to teach humans.

“I’m not sure yet, but I need to talk to some other vampires and do some research. I’m gonna try to fight the urges I get to follow you as much as I can, but I can’t promise I’ll be able to curb it 24/7. I’m sorry.” Ethan watched as Mark appeared to deflate, laying his elbows on the surface in front of him and sliding a hand into his hair. Mark was so worried about burdening Ethan with this, but he was sure that the vampire was suffering more. After all, it must be super hard to fight against ingrained biological instincts, and that was one of the reasons why he wasn’t giving Mark a hard time about it.

“Mark, it’s okay,” Ethan said genuinely, putting down his fork before shifting to lay his hand on the vampire’s shoulder, giving a comforting squeeze. Mark looked up at him, offering a half smile, and Ethan continued, “This is harder for you than it is for me. You’re fighting against _nature_ , and that’s gotta be pretty fuckin’ hard. So give yourself a break, ‘kay? If you end up not being able to control it, just come see me. We can hang out - even if I’m at work.” He laughed softly and watched as Mark’s face softened, giving him a small, but genuine smile in return.

“Thanks, man. I’m gonna try my best, and I’ll keep you updated with my research, especially if I find any solutions.”

“That’d be great.” Ethan gave his shoulder another squeeze, then went back to finishing off his breakfast. He sensed Mark glancing at him every so often as they ate, but he didn’t mention it, sure that he was probably just thinking up possible ways to fix their predicament. Once their plates were empty and Mark raced to the sink, rooting himself in place so Ethan couldn’t shove him aside to do the dishes, he huffed in defeat. So instead, he made his way back up to the guest bedroom, petting Chica who was laid at the top of the stairs. She followed him into the room, which he didn’t mind, and he set about changing into the clothes he’d worn yesterday. After pulling off the pyjama bottoms, he moved into the bathroom and peered at the harsh bite mark on the inside of his thigh, feeling heat creep up into his face. The sight of it had memories flashing up at the forefront of his mind that were probably best left until he was alone in his own bed. Once he’d changed and folded Mark’s PJs, he then brushed his teeth, washed his face and ran a hand through his hair. No point in showering until he could get into some clean clothes at home. Chica once again followed him out of the room and he closed the door behind him, phone now in his pocket and he headed downstairs. Mark had finished the washing up and was wiping down the kitchen when Ethan appeared in the doorway. “Hey, I think I should probably get going now,” he announced with a smile as Mark turned to him.

“Sure, whatever’s best for you,” the vampire said as he walked over, sliding his hands into his pockets, “You gonna be okay getting home?”

“Of course.” Ethan laughed softly and ducked his head, “I’ll let you know when I get back, if that’ll help.” When he looked back up, Mark’s eyes were a fraction wider before he relaxed a little and a sheepish smile stretched across his face.

“It would, actually,” he admitted, lifting a hand to scratch behind his ear, “You’ve got everything you came with?”

“Yeah, just need my backpack and I’m all good.”

Ethan turned and retrieved the bag from the sofa, sliding it over his shoulders and he gave Mark another smile as they walked to the front door together, and he slipped his shoes on before Mark opened the front door. When he stepped across the threshold, he took a deep breath, for the first time feeling reluctant to leave his vampire partner. He pushed away that terrifying feeling and gave Mark a wave as he walked up the path.

“I’ll text you in a bit. And please don’t be too hard on yourself, okay? We’re good.”

“Thanks, Ethan,” Mark said with a soft smile, waving back at him, and Ethan felt his chest tighten as he got further up the drive, away from the vampire. It was a similar feeling to when his anxiety flared up, but he wasn’t sure what he could be anxious about - they’d had a good talk and everything was clear between them… He was sure he’d be fine when he got home. “See you later.”

“Bye, Mark!” he called, pulling out his phone to order an uber as he walked down the street, giving one last wave to the vampire before he was out of sight. The further he walked away from his house, the heavier his breathing became and the more he felt tears begin to prickle at the corners of his eyes. When he eventually got home, after an uncomfortable journey in the uber where he noisily tried to calm his breathing and earned concerned looks in the mirror from the driver, he all but ran to his bedroom. Once the door was closed behind him, he knelt on the floor, hyperventilating as he pressed his forehead to the cool wooden floorboards and sobbed as his heart hammered in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To anyone who got the (not so) hidden references - memento mori ;___;  
> Also, the hardest thing when I wrote this chapter was coming up with a name for the cafe and fuck it still wasn’t creative…
> 
> Just an FYI for future reference in case anyone ever worries I've abandoned this - I have every intention of finishing this fic even if I'm still writing it when I'm 100. In the EXTREMELY rare case that I can't finish it, I will add a "new chapter" to let you guys know that it's gonna stop and also add it to the title and summary of the fic. That being said, I suffer from heavy anxiety and other mental health issues, as well as doing uni work and a full time job so yes, updates are very slow. This chapter took like 3 months to write and that was with me trying my best. If you want updates on how the writing is going, you can find me on tumblr, my username is pure-shores :) I always reply to comments too, so if you ever have any questions or whatever, feel free to leave me a comment. 
> 
> Sorryyyyy for the long af note but I just felt like I had to clear some stuff up and make myself clear! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, take care and have a lovely day <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanna warn y'all that this chapter, Ethan is not having a good time with the after effects of feeding/sleeping with Mark. I'm talking mood swings, nothing major, but just a heads up if that could potentially trigger anyone.
> 
> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are very real people with real feelings and lives so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

Ethan didn’t leave his bedroom for the rest of that day, too shaken up and numb from the panic attack he’d suffered after leaving Mark’s house. The only time he broke out of his dazed state was to reply to the text he got from his vampire partner checking in on him. His reply had been pretty generic and withdrawn, but it seemed to ease Mark’s concern. Strangely, though, that little piece of contact with the vampire had the weight in his chest lessening somewhat, enough so that he decided to have a nap. A nap that ended up lasting all the way through until the next morning. Waking up in his bed, bleary-eyed and feeling gross and uncomfortable in his jeans, Ethan felt almost hungover. That also tended to be an aftershock symptom of his panic attacks, but it’d been a while since he’d last had one, so it hit him a little harder than usual. After sitting up, he rubbed at his eyes and then made a face when he caught a whiff of himself - he for sure needed a shower now. With a huff of effort, Ethan heaved himself out of bed and left his room, shuffling down the hallway to the bathroom. He knocked on the door, checking to make sure none of his roommates were inside. After no reply came, he let himself in and locked the door behind him, then reached up to turn on the shower. Gratefully he slipped out of his dirty clothes and hopped in under the hot water, a sigh escaping his lips. Usually his showers were quick and over within no more than ten minutes - his schedule was busy so he didn’t have time to hang around - but today the spray on his face and body felt like it was cleansing him deep to his core, so he took all the time he wanted. When he finally emerged, the room full of steam, and then made his way back to his bedroom, he checked his phone to see that it was midday. _And_ his phone was about to die. Rooting around in his backpack, he sighed when it was clear that the cable was nowhere in sight. He even tipped the bag upside down and emptied the few contents onto his bed, and yep, he was right the first time around. This _could_ be problematic… especially since he had a shift at the club tonight. With a mind to check the rest of the house later, Ethan frowned to himself and began drying his hair. Once he was dried and dressed, he headed downstairs and tried not to work himself up into more of a frenzy as he raided the other rooms in the house and found that his charger was nowhere to be seen. He’d used it yesterday before work, so where had it gone? How was he supposed to talk to Mark if his phone battery died? _Wait_ … As that thought dominated his mind, Ethan took a mental step back and considered _why the hell_ that had been the main concern that materialised at the prospect of not being able to access his phone. It’s not like Mark was his top priority in life, right? The fact that he had to question that had his world spinning at just what was going on in his head. He’d known the vampire only a little more than two weeks and, despite the fact they’d slept together, they didn’t know each other _that_ well…

“What the fuck is going on,” Ethan whispered to himself, shaking his head as he sunk down into a chair at the table in the back room, then slid his hands over his face with a sigh. Ever since he’d left Mark’s house the day before, he hadn’t felt like he was in control of his emotions or his thoughts. Maybe he needed to look into getting a therapist once his finances became more stable, he was definitely getting signs that his mental health was deteriorating. But why now? What had triggered it? Maybe it was the feeding. Maybe there’d been something in their contract which warned that a side effect could be a disruption to the human’s mental stability - he’d have to ask Mark. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he made a noise of despair to see that it’d finally run out of battery. He had no way of talking to Mark. This was not good. As he stared at the black screen of the phone, he felt his breathing escalate, his chest rising and falling quicker by the second. Feeling his heart rate begin to soar, he shifted in his chair and lowered himself down to press his forehead against the cool surface of the dining table. As his breathing became harsh, laboured, and almost like panting, tears began stinging his eyes and he had the doomed sensation of feeling like he was going to die. But would Mark be okay if he was gone? Who would he feed on then?! Those thoughts only sent him spiralling further, his head spinning as inky black shadows began to creep into the corners of his vision. In the back of his mind, he heard the front door knocking and footsteps jogging down the wooden staircase to answer it. There were voices at the door, though Ethan couldn’t even begin to try understanding what they were saying because they sounded like they were talking underwater. He was starting to get lightheaded when he felt the floor thundering and then there were hands on his shoulders.

“Ethan?! Ethan! What’s going on?”

Though it still sounded like he had his head underwater, that voice calling his name was like a searchlight beaming through the fog in his mind. Lifting his head, Ethan came face to face with Mark and he launched himself at the vampire, wrapping his arms around his neck and holding him close. When he felt the vampire’s arms slide around him in return, his breathing began to slow, gradually, easing up with each passing moment.

“Shh, you’re okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you. Breathe with me.”

Mark’s voice, quiet and soft in his ear, felt like it was chasing away the dark shadows in his vision and he focused on the deliberate, rhythmic sensation of the vampire’s chest rising and falling where it was pressed against his own. As he let himself be wrapped up in the strength and scent of Mark, and felt his breathing pattern sync up with that of the vampire, his heart rate eventually settled into something more regular. The tears stopped flowing and he let out a heavy sigh of relief when he felt it was safe to try and think clearly again. He shifted back in Mark’s hold a little, reluctant to let go of him completely, but he gazed up into his eyes. His face was full of concern, eyebrows pinched together and his jaw was clenched tight. Ethan didn’t want him to be worried - Mark should be happy, not worried.

“I’m okay,” he croaked, voice dry and rough from the exertion of excessive breathing. He cleared his throat before continuing, “I’m okay now. I just… really need my phone charger.”

Ethan watched as Mark lifted an eyebrow, looking like he was a little skeptical of that excuse. The vampire unwound an arm from around Ethan’s back and reached into his pocket to pull out a white cable and plug which had Ethan’s eyes widening in simultaneous disbelief and relief.

“I thought I’d swing by to drop this off, you must’ve dropped it at mine somehow,” Mark explained, laying the charger down on the table and surveying Ethan’s face, his concern only growing even more, “Was this really all because you couldn’t find your charger? You can tell me the truth, Ethan.”

In the corner of his gaze, Ethan noticed the presence of his roommate, Daniel, leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and a similar look of concern on his face. Upon the notable silence on Ethan’s part, Daniel held his hands out placatingly and gave a half smile, “I’ll leave you guys to it. If you need anything I’ll be in my room.” He offered a wave before jogging back up the stairs, and Ethan sagged a little in Mark’s hold, more at ease without an audience.

“I don’t feel like myself,” he finally said quietly, gaze trained on a stray piece of thread poking out from the shoulder of Mark’s shirt. He leaned back out of their embrace, sliding his arms down from where they’d been clutched around the vampire’s neck, and huffed out a tired sigh. Eventually he locked eyes with Mark again and searched his gaze for answers, hoping that somehow he’d miraculously found a solution to their situation overnight. “Can this connection you have to my blood affect me too?”

“Not that I’m aware of,” Mark said slowly, moving to sit in the chair next to Ethan now he’d let go of him, “But I’m nowhere near an expert on my own kind. Just like humans always make discoveries about their bodies and diseases, vampire scientists are constantly making breakthroughs about our biologies and how they connect to humans. What is it that you’re feeling right now?”

“I just…” Ethan sighed again, shaking his head as he stared down at the table, “I’ve had two panic attacks since I left your place yesterday. As _soon_ as I left you, I felt anxious and I had this urge to just run back to you and never leave. And _this_ ,” he emphasised as he gestured to the phone charger on the table, “My phone died and _all_ I could think was that I had no way to talk to you if I didn’t charge my phone. I feel wrecked, Mark.”

There was a deafening silence sat in the chair next to him and, as he waited for a response, the silence only seemed to creep up his spine and make him shiver with worry and unease. He glanced sideways at the vampire and saw that he was typing furiously on his phone and he frowned, for some reason more irritated than he usually would be at the fact that Mark wasn’t listening to him.

“Am I boring you?” he asked, a bite to his tone as he clenched his fists on the table. Clearly there was someone more interesting to talk to than him, and it had jealousy burning red hot in the pit of his stomach.

“What?” Mark asked, pausing in his typing to look at Ethan, and his gaze dropped to take in the sight of his clenched fists, making his knuckles turn white. Cautiously he set his phone down on the table and slid a hand over one of Ethan’s, his thumb rubbing gentle circles into the back of it until his hand uncurled and he allowed Mark to weave their fingers together. “You’re not boring me in the slightest,” the vampire said in a hushed voice, eyes boring into Ethan’s, not looking away once, “I’m trying to get more answers about what’s going on with us. I want to help you feel normal again, Ethan. And the only way I can do that is by talking to other vampires who are more knowledgeable than me. I promise, you are my priority right now.”

The blinding, boiling jealousy that had been consuming him was washed away, soothed by Mark’s attention and reassurance, and replaced instead by a comforting warmth in his heart, glowing and soft. He smiled and shuffled his chair closer, pulling their joined hands towards him where he kissed the back of Mark’s knuckles.

“You always take care of me,” he murmured, turning Mark’s hand in his grasp and kissing the tips of his fingers, then he lifted his gaze to see the vampire staring at him, pupils blown wide and not moving an inch. A grin pulled at Ethan’s lips and he gently nipped the tip of Mark’s thumb with his teeth. “Everything okay, Mark?”

“Yeah, all good,” came the gravelly reply which sent a shiver straight to Ethan’s very core. “But uh… I think you need some rest. You’ve been through a lot these past few days, once you’ve rested you should feel a hell of a lot better. C’mon.”

Ethan blinked when he felt Mark’s hand leave his own, and he looked up when the vampire stood, watching him stoop down in front of him. In a flash, Ethan was no longer sat in the chair, but he was in strong, firm arms and racing through the house, everything a blur as he passed by. In mere seconds, he was in his bed, and Mark was tucking the duvet in around him. Frowning, Ethan tried to sit up but Mark laid a hand on his chest and an immovable force held him in place.

“How did you…? I’m not tired,” Ethan complained, trying to pry Mark’s hand off of him but to no avail. “Let me up.”

“Ethan, you just had a panic attack, you need rest. And don’t you have work tonight?” Mark asked, tipping his head to one side questioningly as he gazed down at Ethan.

“Yeah, but I’m fine,” Ethan protested, pursing his lips and sighing, and then to his annoyance he felt a yawn pull at his lips and after he’d finished, Mark was smiling knowingly at him. “Okay, maybe I could use some more sleep. But I want you to stay with me.”

“Alright,” Mark conceded, giving a short nod and a small smile. He toed off his shoes and moved to sit cross-legged on the bed by Ethan’s feet, looking both comfortable and alert - something only a vampire could manage. Ethan shifted to lay on his side so he could keep Mark in his sights until he fell asleep.

“Thanks, Mark,” he murmured, smiling sleepily as his eyes drooped and he let out another yawn, “I really needed this, you were right.”

“I know,” Mark said after chuckling quietly, “Now hush, you won’t get there if you keep talking to me.”

“Hmm-’kay,” Ethan mumbled, his eyelids fluttering closed and his breathing began to slowly even out as he slipped off into the land of dreams.

* * *

The harsh ringing of his phone alarm jolted Ethan awake. He shuffled, sitting up and stretching his arm out to turn it off with a grunt. Glancing down towards the end of the bed, he stiffened a little when he realised that Mark had been there when he fell asleep and now he was gone. Inhaling deeply through his nose and then breathing out through his mouth - his rational brain knowing that deep breathing would help to keep away any oncoming anxiety - Ethan slid his legs out of bed and grabbed for his phone, which he noticed was plugged into the wall with his charger. That must have been Mark, whilst he’d been asleep… Mark, who’d carried him to bed and stayed with him until he drifted off. What had _happened_ to him? As he thought back to the day’s events, he put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, leaning his elbows on his knees - he didn’t even feel like it had been _him_ who’d done all of those things. Thinking back to the way he’d behaved around Mark, it was as if he was seeing the memories from within his own mind, but like he had no control over his behaviour and emotions. The way he’d broken down at the thought of not being able to text Mark, the way he’d _thrown_ himself at Mark when he turned up with his charger, and how desperate he’d looked kissing his hand - all of those things were _wildly_ out of character for him and he felt shame and embarrassment deep in the pit of his stomach. He had no idea what was going on in his life, but at this precise moment all he knew was that if he didn’t get up he was going to be late for work. And whether or not he was going to quit the club soon, he still needed to turn up for his shifts to save up as much money as possible. Speaking of… a few taps to his phone and he loaded up his mobile banking app to confirm whether he’d received his first initial payment from the vampire embassy. And boy oh boy, there it was - he blinked a few times at the four figure sum that had been transferred over and immediately moved most of it into his savings account. Before he locked his phone, he opened up a text from Mark that he’d received hours ago, which let him know that he’d left whilst he was asleep and to get plenty of rest before his shift at the club. Immediately Ethan’s fingers flew over the keys on his phone, typing out a response: ‘ _Thank you for everything. I don’t know what’s going on in my head right now and I’m sorry for being all over the place. I hope you’re doing okay.’_

He didn’t wait for a reply, he hopped up and began to get ready for work - at the club there wasn’t much of a uniform, just a button up black shirt and slim-fitting black jeans, for which he was grateful. Plus, black wasn’t too bad a colour on him and he enjoyed gelling up his hair and looking like he was going out - and yeah, he was well aware that it was kinda reflective of his non-existent social life to enjoy getting dressed up for work. He also made himself some dinner before heading out, managing a small plate of pasta and downing a glass of water. After that, he’d given himself a spritz with aftershave, pocketed his now-charged phone and shouldered his backpack. When he left the house, he headed to the bus stop and hopped onto the next one that turned up which would drop him off a block away from the club. It only took around twenty minutes until he was getting off and walking the rest of the short way. When he punched in the number for the security lock on the staff entrance door round back, it clicked and he pushed it open, heading through the narrow hallways to the staffroom. There was already upbeat music playing out front, evident from the heavy bass that was vibrating the walls around Ethan as he pulled off his coat and backpack, shoving them in his locker and slipping his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. He tried not to think about the fact that Mark still hadn’t replied to his text, pushing away the urge to send him another message just to try and provoke the vampire into responding. Instead, he turned and was about to head out front to the bar when one of his colleagues, Evie, walked into the staffroom. She greeted him with a warm smile and moved to shove her stuff into her own locker, glancing over her shoulder at him as he edged towards the door.

“Hey Ethan! Sounds like it’s pretty wild out there already, huh? I’ve got your back if you need anything.”

“You too, Evie, see ya out there,” Ethan gave a wave and a quick smile before he was walking down the hallway towards the door that led out onto the main floor of the club. He peered through the small window in the door out at the large queues of people waiting to order drinks at the bar and took a deep breath. He wouldn’t have to do this for much longer, he reminded himself. Not that he hated this job - it’s just that you couldn’t really take a deep breath or a moment to yourself, let alone actually have any proper conversations with customers. It was usually shouting over the music, struggling to hear customers and doing an awful lot of translating drunken orders. He much preferred the cafe where he got to chat to customers as well as be able to hear himself think.

And with that, he pushed through the door and into the large room full of people sat at tables, dancing or ordering drinks at the bar. He slipped behind said bar to his usual till and tapped the screen to log in, and immediately began taking the order of the guy in front of him. Easily he slotted into the flow of these shifts, all of the recipes for each drink easily coming to mind as they were spoken to him. After not too long, Evie slid in place at the till to his left, and she gave him a grin in greeting. He nodded back at her with a smile in between making a drink, and he felt a little more at ease with his till buddy by his side - they always had each other to lean on during these shifts if a customer was shitty or they spilled a drink, anything they needed help with. As the night wore on, Ethan’s spirits lifted and he _almost_ forgot about the problems he’d had the past few days. In a rare break between customers, he and Evie glanced at each other and grinned, shaking their heads at just how much people in this city liked to party.

“Here, someone insisted on buying me a drink,” Evie said, leaning towards him so he could hear her over the music, and she slid a glass along their side of the bar. It was kinda funny, really, that such a girl would choose to work at a club of all places when she chose not to drink alcohol - purely just for personal reasons, that is.

“You’ve missed out on so many free drinks, dude,” Ethan chuckled, grinning as he took a long sip from the glass, making a face, “Ugh, why’d they buy you _gin_?”

“Whoah, hot guy at 10 o’clock heading straight for us,” Evie suddenly announced, nudging shoulders with Ethan and subtly nodding her head in that direction.

Ethan put down the glass and cleared his throat, grabbing a cloth to wipe down his station and appear nonchalant as he glanced over to where Evie had nodded… and his heart fluttered when the _hot guy_ she was referring to was not just a guy, but a vampire. _Mark_. A myriad of thoughts and emotions flashed through his mind as Mark approached the bar, and Ethan gave him what he hoped was a warm smile when he came to a stop in front of him.

“Hey,” he greeted the vampire softly, sounding as if he’d just had the breath knocked out of him.

“Hi.” Mark grinned at him and laid his elbows on the bar, leaning on them as he watched Ethan. “How’re you feeling?”

“Good.” Ethan took a deep breath and felt his heart fluttering more as he took in his outfit - grey denim jacket, a darker grey button down shirt and black jeans. And his hair was still fluffy and shiny, just the way Ethan liked it. God, he _really_ needed to stop thinking like that, his head had been too messed up lately as it was. “Are you, uh, meeting someone here?” Immediately the thought of Mark coming out dressed like that to meet someone that wasn’t him had jealousy bubbling in his chest but he took a deep breath to try and calm himself down. He _needed_ to keep a hold of himself, he was at work, for fuck’s sake.

“Nah, just thought I’d swing by, have a couple drinks and talk to you if you were around,” Mark said smoothly, and Ethan knew immediately that he’d come here because he was struggling with his urges to follow him. Which was fine, in all honesty, it hadn’t caused him any trouble so far. And besides, he _had_ told him to come and hang out if he couldn’t stop himself from following him. So now, here he was. 

“Ooh, you guys know each other?” Evie gushed from beside Ethan, and he blinked, all but having forgotten that there were other people around them. He glanced at her and his mind stuttered to respond, not really wanting to tell her exactly how they knew each other - after all, she’d made note of the fact that Mark was hot and she was straight and single. Luckily, Mark seemed to get the hint and spoke up.

“Yeah, we’ve known each other, what, a couple years now, Ethan? Met at a convention, if you can believe it,” Mark chuckled, shaking his head as he glanced at his colleague before turning his attention back to Ethan. It felt good to have Mark’s focus back on him and _not_ on Evie.

“Oh, what sort of convention? I’ve been to comic con a couple times and it’s _so_ much fun,” Evie said enthusiastically, shuffling closer to Ethan’s side so she could keep in with their conversation.

Ethan saw red and couldn’t help himself from interjecting, sliding his hand across the bar to rest on top of one of Mark’s, stroking the back of it with his thumb as he leant close to the vampire. 

“It was Pax South, right? Me and Mark are really into gaming, so it was kinda fate I think.” He watched Mark search his eyes, his smile not dropping from his face, but he did turn his hand over and weave his and Ethan’s fingers together.

“That’s right. We got picked to go head to head on the fruit ninja VR and because I beat him, I asked if he wanted to go for a drink to help ease the pain of losing.” Mark’s smile widened into a grin once more and Ethan narrowed his eyes warningly.

“Wait… you guys are a thing?! Ethan, you never said you had a boyfriend!” Evie playfully swatted his arm.

“Yeah, I don’t like talking about my private life much.” Ethan shrugged and gave Mark’s hand a squeeze before letting it go. “So, ya know, it’d be great if you didn’t tell anyone,” he said with a hopeful smile.

“Yeah, of course.” Evie gave them a wink and grinned, “You’re a cute couple, I love it!” With that, she turned away to serve a customer and he and Mark were left to chat alone.

“So, uh, did you actually want a drink?” Ethan asked with a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck and suddenly feeling embarrassed and ashamed as hell. What the fuck was he doing, making up that shit about him and Mark being together? All because he didn’t want Evie to go after Mark?

“I’d love a rum and coke,” Mark replied, shifting to get himself comfy on the bar stool in front of Ethan.

“You got it.” Nodding and getting to work right away, he avoided looking at Mark until he set the drink down in front of him, and those dark, molten eyes pierced right through to his soul. He swallowed hard and offered a weak smile, “This one’s on me. For, ya know…” He lowered his voice, “Going along with that.”

“You don’t have to do that.” Mark shook his head with a smile, but took the glass and tipped it in Ethan’s direction. “It’s… an honour to be your boyfriend, for however long it takes for you to get sick of me.” He gave a teasing grin and sipped the drink, holding Ethan’s gaze over the rim of the glass as he did so.

Ethan opened his mouth but had no words. He closed it again, held captive by Mark’s stare which had a familiar heat burning in his core. The same heat he’d felt when they’d slept together. He felt torn between wanting to run and hide and wanting to grab Mark’s hand and drag him into the men’s toilets to do things to him which could get him fired.

“You’re just fishing for compliments now,” Ethan eventually managed to retort, rolling his eyes but there was a smile on his face and pink dusting his cheeks.

“I don’t need to fish when I already know that you think I’m hot.” Mark raised his eyebrows challengingly as he took another sip of his rum and coke, and Ethan _knew_ he would be smirking if he wasn’t in the middle of drinking right now. But _fuck_ , he was hot, it was true. And holding his hand and calling him his boyfriend _had_ made butterflies erupt in his stomach, even if it was nowhere near the truth.

“Says the guy that came all the way across town just to see little ol’ me.” Ethan poked his tongue out, then moved to lean on his elbows on the bar, body angled close to the vampire, mirroring his stance. “You just can’t get enough of me, can you?” He was teasing, obviously, but he was also dancing on a thin line between being playful and dipping into territory that Mark may still be feeling sensitive about. Luckily, it seemed that Mark was feeling playful because he set down his drink, leaned in closer, then tipped his head to one side as he spoke softly - just for Ethan’s ears.

“You _know_ you’ve been driving me crazy, Ethan.” And the way he said his _name_ , god it had goosebumps rising to his arms and he felt that simmering heat begin to stir up even more, deep in the pit of his belly. “I can’t stop thinking about you and you know it.”

Ethan leaned in ever closer, not even aware of their surroundings anymore. No one else existed in this moment except him and Mark, and he wanted to _bathe_ in his warm, molten voice. He gave a grin, feeling as if he was tipsy almost, and poked his tongue in between his teeth.

“You know what would be even better than me driving you crazy? _You_ driving _me_ crazy in the men’s toilets _right now_.” As he spoke those words, he watched as Mark’s pupils dilated and he set down his glass, the hand previously holding it now clenching into a fist.

“You’d get in trouble.” Those words were not as seductive as he’d been expecting, but he just rolled his eyes.

“I’m gonna quit anyway! C’mon, Mark…” He leaned in closer, and watched the vampire do the same. “Don’t you wanna hear me scream your name?”

There was the sound of wood groaning between them and Ethan whipped his head down to see that Mark was gripping the edge of the bar so hard that he’d begun splintering some of the wood. Eyes widening, Ethan glanced up at Mark to see the vampire staring at him like he wanted to devour him, and he shuddered at the memory of Mark straddling him a few days ago.

“Ethan, come on! We got no time for chatting, get servin’, will ya?”

The shouted orders from his shift manager at the other end of the bar were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head and Ethan snapped upright, whole body tense and his head felt a little dizzy. He glanced down at Mark and saw his knuckles turning white where he was clenching his fists in his lap now, instead of tearing the bar to pieces.

“Come back later,” Ethan whispered, knowing Mark’s advanced hearing would pick up the words, “I finish at 3 if you wanna see me.”

The vampire flickered his eyes up to Ethan’s face and he offered a tight smile before nodding slowly.

“Okay.” Mark flexed his hands, having uncurled his fists, and he stood up, reaching over to gently link hands with Ethan for a moment. “I’ll be back later, okay?” Ethan nodded and gave his hand a squeeze, smiling in return as they let go of each other’s hands. 

“Be safe,” he called after the vampire, watching him as he left the club and was out of sight. Ethan gulped in deep breaths and focused on the person who now occupied the space where Mark had just been, and he took their order before mechanically moving to make their drinks. It took a while before he could get back to his normal work flow, but even then he was still a little off. His abrupt separation from Mark had thrown him off and left him feeling a little… lost. Evie seemed to notice, with how often she’d ask if he was alright, but she didn’t press the issue too much. Ethan was grateful for that.

All too slowly, 3 o’clock finally rolled around and, as soon as the clock struck the end of his shift, Ethan bid Evie goodbye and then headed out back to grab his belongings. He pulled out his phone to check if Mark had sent him any messages, then pursed his lips when there were no such notifications from the vampire on his home screen. Maybe he’d decided coming to see him would be a bad idea, after the way things had swiftly gotten heated between them earlier. Trying not to feel too disappointed, Ethan shouldered his backpack after pulling on his coat and headed out the staff exit, greeted immediately by the chill night air. He was about to stuff his hands in his pockets and make his way to the bus stop when something caught his eye in his peripherals, and he turned to his left to see Mark leaning against a car in the shadows of the staff parking lot. His heart began thumping hard and, without a second thought, he began walking over to the vampire. As he got closer, his steps became faster and when he was within a couple feet from him he reached out to grab his shoulders, the vampire simultaneously pulling at his hips, and they crashed together as their mouths collided. Ethan kissed him like his life depended on it, like he was the air he needed to breathe, and one of his hands slid to Mark’s neck, panting softly in the gaps between kisses. Mark’s hands, meanwhile, had shifted into his hair and his ass, squeezing a handful of the plump flesh through his jeans and making Ethan’s entire being burn with desire. With a gasp of surprise, Ethan felt himself being turned and his back pressed up against the car, crowded in close as Mark urged him up off the ground and lifted his legs around his waist. He locked his ankles together and groaned when Mark pushed up against him to keep him secure against the car.

“I wanna tear you apart right here, right now, so everyone can hear you screaming my name,” Mark growled in his ear after breaking away from his lips, and Ethan groaned at the mental images accompanied by those words. He clung to the vampire’s shoulders, panting for breath and trying not to combust from the onslaught of sensation overloading his mind.

“I - I want you so bad,” Ethan murmured, tapering off into a moan as Mark ground into him, the delicious friction lighting up pleasure in the pit of his stomach. As the sound of rowdy people in the distance cut through to Ethan’s lust-clouded mind, he gasped and cupped Mark’s cheek, making him catch his gaze. “Not here,” he whispered, “For your eyes only.”

Mark nodded and pressed one last burning kiss to his mouth, then lowered him to the ground and helped him into the passenger seat of his car. Ethan, for the life of him, couldn’t begin to even care about what car Mark had as there were other more pressing matters on his mind at that moment. As soon as Mark was in the car, they were off and out of the parking lot, headed where, Ethan didn’t know. He should’ve really given Mark his preferred destination, but in the moment he trusted the vampire to take them somewhere private so no prying eyes could get a sneak peek of the show. The entire journey, Ethan unabashedly stared at Mark, taking in every breathtaking feature of his form - and every so often, when it was safe to take his eyes off the road, Mark would look right back, not caring about how much he stared or where his gaze landed on Ethan’s body. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the car came to a stop, but when he looked out of the windows he saw that they were outside _his_ house. He was surprised, honestly, but so long as they headed straight to his bedroom then he didn’t care. After a drawn out, heated look between them both, Mark broke the stalemate to get out of the car and was at Ethan’s door within a second, opening it for him. Ethan blinked at how fast he’d walked around the car, but got out and shut the door behind him. After Mark had locked the car, they both walked in silence up to his front door, though they walked close enough that their hands brushed against each other. Ethan unlocked the door after rummaging in his backpack for his keys, and when it shut and was locked behind them, he turned to Mark and lifted a finger to his lips.

“My roommates are probably home and I don’t want us to be interrupted,” he explained, voice barely more than a whisper, and they quietly made their way up the wooden staircase. Turning right, Ethan let them into his bedroom and, once Mark had shuffled inside after him, he locked the door behind them. He dropped his backpack on the floor, turned towards the vampire, then found himself pressed up against the door behind him. Mark gazed hungrily at him and cupped his face, then leant in and kissed him with no less heat than he had in the parking lot before. Ethan immediately opened his mouth and Mark’s tongue slid in, licking into every corner and sliding along Ethan’s own tongue which had him shuddering. Ethan once again reached for Mark’s shoulders, fingers splaying out across the broad muscles and digging in when Mark pushed his crotch up against his. When the kiss broke, Ethan panted softly and tried not to pout in disappointment, but his heart rate soared as Mark tugged him over to the bed and had him sit down on the edge. As Mark moved to kneel between his legs, Ethan’s eyes widened and a quiet groan sounded in the back of his throat at the image that immediately surfaced in his mind - Mark’s head of dark, fluffy hair between his legs, bobbing up and down as his lips tightened around him. “Fuck,” he whispered, coming back to reality when he felt Mark tug his shirt out of his jeans, then slid his hands up under it to splay his hands across his stomach.

“You’re beautiful,” Mark murmured, moving a hand back out again to unbutton his shirt from the bottom upwards. Ethan’s cheeks flushed at the compliment, then busied himself with helping the vampire undo his buttons. When the shirt was undone, he slid it off his shoulders and dropped it on the floor beside his bed. “God, just _look_ at you,” Mark breathed, sliding both hands back up Ethan’s skin, his large, warm hands settling on his chest, “You honestly drive me up the wall, you know that?”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Ethan mumbled, enjoying the feeling of Mark’s hands on him - it felt _right_ , he felt safe and like he was where he was meant to be in life. He took one of Mark’s hands and pressed a lingering kiss to the palm, eyes locked with the vampire’s as his mouth trailed across the smooth skin there and grazed down to his wrist.

“I wanna taste you,” Mark whispered, his mouth having parted slightly as he watched Ethan kiss his palm, and he licked his lips, which Ethan watched attentively.

“We need to be careful this time.” Ethan gave a wry smile. “Don’t wanna pass out again.”

“No,” Mark said quickly, one of his hands dropping from Ethan’s chest to grasp the waistband of his jeans, right below where the light dusting of hair on his stomach trailed down beneath the material, “I want to _taste_ you.”

_Oh_. Ethan’s mouth fell open slightly now, and he swallowed hard as all moisture seemingly disappeared at the thought of Mark’s mouth on his dick.

“Is that okay?” Mark asked, his thumb flicking at the zipper of Ethan’s jeans as if he was more than ready to pull it down and get them off him right at that very moment.

“Fuck, of course it is,” Ethan murmured, and he took a long, deep breath, leaning back on his hands as he pushed his hips off the bed encouragingly. Mark took the hint and immediately pulled his zipper down and unbuttoned the jeans, then pushed the denim down over his hips. Ethan shook them off his legs and then tossed them aside somewhere in the same direction as his shirt. “Don’t leave me underdressed again.” Ethan bit his bottom lip, grinning as he watched Mark pull off his denim jacket, and his shirt underneath followed moments later.

“Better?” Mark smirked, and Ethan grinned even more, knowing that Mark knew just how much he was attracted to him without having to say a single word.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ethan glanced down at himself, eyes flickering to the bulge in his underwear, and then he looked back up at Mark, feeling his dick twitch as the vampire licked his lips in response.

“Much better,” Mark whispered, and he leaned closer on his knees, hands lifting in the space between them but settled on Ethan’s thighs, “Can I touch you?”

“Of course,” Ethan murmured, and he lifted his hips up again, which in turn prompted Mark to slide his fingers beneath the waistband of his underwear and slide the garment off. As his dick was revealed, it strained up, nudging against his stomach. Ethan watched Mark’s reaction - the vampire slid his gaze up from the base of his dick to the tip, then licked his lips again as he finally looked up at Ethan’s face.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, lifting up and wrapping a hand around the base of his dick. Ethan grunted at the grip of his fingers, which slowly slid up once and back down again, working the foreskin with a few slow pumps of his hand.

“Jesus, Mark,” Ethan breathed, reaching a hand down to cup the vampire’s cheek as he stared up at him in return, “That’s good…” Mark smiled up at him, turning his head to kiss the palm of Ethan’s hand as he’d done to Mark’s earlier.

“You deserve it,” Mark whispered, turning his head back again so he could lean his head down and slide his lips around the head of Ethan’s dick, holding the base steady in the one hand as he did so.

Ethan inhaled sharply and his thighs tensed at the flutter of pleasure that radiated from his dick to the pit of his stomach. He slid a hand into Mark’s hair, gripping some of the strands in his fingers, and let out a slow breath. Once he’d steadied himself, he felt Mark hum around his dick, the vibrations jolting him and he arched his back with a groan.

“ _Fuck_ ,” he breathed again, mouth parting as pleasure coursed through his system. He knew that Mark wouldn’t be able to take him in much further - fangs combined with blowjobs were a _no no_ \- but that didn’t stop this from feeling incredible. As the vampire began dipping his tongue into the slit at the head of his dick, he simultaneously resumed jerking off the rest with the hand that still had a hold of him. Now _that_ was… “So fucking good,” Ethan groaned, head tipping back as he tightened the fist in Mark’s hair and tugged the strands a little. In return, he got a groan from the vampire which only had his brain short-circuiting that much more. After a little while, Mark seemed to pick up a rhythm of sliding his hand up and down, tightening his fingers at _just_ the right moment, whilst also licking at Ethan’s slit. It was a heady combination and Ethan couldn’t stop himself from rocking his hips in time with the rhythm Mark had set, feeling that familiar simmering heat at his core building up to what could only be an almost-deafening crescendo. “I can’t,” he panted, tugging harder at Mark’s hair and earning a growl around his dick which _almost_ sent him careening over the edge, “I won’t last…”

That only seemed to make Mark more eager to finish him off. His hand worked faster now, managing to slide from base to just below his mouth at a speed which had Ethan’s stomach spasming. And his _tongue_ \- he’d begun licking around the entire head now, flattening his tongue and engulfing his leaking slit in beautiful wet heat. Ethan huffed and moaned as he leaned back on his free hand, the other which was threaded tight in Mark’s hair riding the motions of his head as he licked at Ethan’s dick. Since he’d had his head tipped back for the majority of this, he chanced a glance down at the vampire and _that_ was the end for him. Mark’s gaze was already trained upwards to watch him as he suckled his dick, his hand also furiously jerking him off.

“Mark,” he groaned, mouth dropping open wide as he came, his release spurting mostly into the vampire’s mouth. As the pleasure overtook him, the hand holding him up failed and he collapsed backwards onto his bed, panting for breath. Mark had continued working him through his orgasm, until his vision was clear again. After a moment of staring up at the ceiling, the vampire appeared in his line of sight, his eyes soft and his smile warm.

“Good?” he questioned, though they both knew that he didn’t even have to ask. Ethan rolled his eyes, but grinned and nodded up at him, then he disappeared from view again. He heard Mark rummaging in his drawers, the sounds of clothes being pulled out making him confused.

“What about you?” Ethan murmured, throwing an arm across his face and trying to find the strength to sit up so he could get Mark off if he wanted to.

“Don’t worry about me, we’ve got plenty of time for that.” He heard Mark chuckle, then walk over towards the bed again. “Here, put these on and you’ll be asleep in no time.”

He reappeared with some of Ethan’s PJs in hand and Ethan frowned, finally managing to sit up and he took the garments from him.

“Hardly the sexiest outfit to make you cum in,” he muttered, looking skeptical as he aimed his gaze up at Mark.

“That can wait ‘til tomorrow, it’s late enough as it is and you need sleep.” Mark’s eyes were crinkled at the corners as he grinned, sitting down on the bed next to him.

“You wanna stay over?” Ethan asked, eyebrows lifting as he reached to pull on his discarded underwear, followed by the PJ bottoms.

“I’d like that, if you don’t mind.” Mark nodded, his gaze scanning across Ethan’s bare chest and then up to his face. His grin had softened into a smile now, and it made Ethan’s heart thump just a little harder.

“Sure, sounds good,” Ethan said quietly with a smile on his face. He shuffled on the bed and pulled back the duvet, crawling up to the headboard. “My PJs might be a little, uh, small for you though…”

“I don’t mind just sleeping in my shorts, if you can handle that.” The vampire’s eyes glittered with amusement as he grinned again, already beginning to unbutton and unzip his jeans.

“Ha ha,” Ethan muttered, rolling his eyes but he smiled anyway, “I think I’ll be good ‘til the morning, don’t worry.” Though he unabashedly watched as Mark pulled his jeans down and off, revealing _beautifully_ toned thighs, and then he made his way over to the bed, crawling in beside Ethan and sitting up against the headboard with him. After throwing the duvet over the both of them, he slid down onto his side facing Mark who shifted down to get comfortable too. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting lately… I think I might look for a therapist, see if that helps.”

“Don’t apologise,” Mark said softly, eyes flickering across his face, “I hope the feeding isn’t to blame for any of it… But we can talk this through in the morning, when we’re both rested properly. Sound good?”

“Yeah, when I’m not on the verge of nodding off.” Ethan chuckled and let out a yawn, then shifted to get more comfortable, one of his hands beneath his cheek. “Goodnight, Mark,” he mumbled, offering a small smile before closing his eyes.

“Goodnight, Ethan. Sweet dreams.” Mark’s voice was soft and warm, lulling Ethan into slumber, and just before he drifted off he felt the bed shift where Mark slid even closer and slipped an arm around his waist.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, if anyone thinks I've written Ethan wildly out of character for this chapter, it was 100% intentional and due to stuff in the plot that is upcoming. That's as much as I can say without spoiling anything! Oh, ALSO - next chapter is possibly just gonna be worse ahaha...
> 
> Second, thank you so much to aftermoonrise for giving me some advice about vampire physiology that I definitely didn't want to google :')
> 
> Lastly, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks to everyone who reads, leaves kudos, comments and all that jazz, it really does motivate me to continue and I'm honestly so flawed that this fic has - at the time of writing - 361 kudos! Like WTF! <3 If any of you have theories as to what's going on with Mark and Ethan, I would LOVE to hear it, or even just say hi in the comments! I appreciate each and every one of you! Take care, have a lovely day and I'll catch you later <3


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! A note for this chapter - Mark is almost entirely absent, and you'll see why soon enough. Also, Margot is a pretty big part of this one, I'm sorry if that's annoying but hey, she's bae. <3
> 
> Another SUPER quick note - my camping buddy drew some fanart for this fic and somehow I TOTALLY forgot to link it here?! Go take a look: https://celestestardust.tumblr.com/post/628806542882373632/im-a-sucker-for-gay-vampire-aus-haha-get  
> I have NEVER had anyone draw fanart for any of my work and ASDFGHJKL it's honestly so perfect and I'm so honoured uwu  
> She has also kindly agreed to let me post the actual image here so I'll pop it below in the start of the chapter for you all to have a look at! Go have a look at her tumblr because she does some incredible fanart! <3
> 
> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are very real people with real feelings and lives so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

“...Mark?”

The silence of his bedroom was all that he got in reply - the vampire was just _gone_ . Ethan had woken up to an empty bed, the house still and quiet aside from the sounds of his roommates going about their daily routines in the other rooms. He frowned, listening out for any indication that one of them may be chatting to Mark, but came up empty handed. Surely he wouldn’t have just left without even saying goodbye? _He_ had been the one to ask if he could stay over last night. And what’s worse, the pillow that Mark had been laying on last night was now pressed up against the side of his hip as if to replicate the body that had been there when he fell asleep. What the fuck was going on? Pushing back the duvet, Ethan sat up and wasted no time in making his way out of his room and downstairs to the kitchen. Daniel and Bryony, two of his roommates, were sat at the dining table eating breakfast and Ethan came to a stop just inside the doorway. No sign of a vampire here.

“Have you guys seen Mark?” No point beating around the bush - if he’d left secretly in the middle of the night, he needed to know why.

Bryony looked up and cocked an eyebrow. “Who’s Mark?”

“You mean the guy who came by with your charger yesterday?” Daniel asked, to which Ethan nodded. “Haven’t seen him. Why, did he stay over last night?”

“Well, he, uh, wanted to make sure I was feeling okay so he offered to stay the night just in case,” Ethan lied, rubbing the back of his neck, “Just didn’t know if he’d left already.”

“Sorry, dude, no idea.” Daniel offered an apologetic smile. “You _are_ okay though, yeah?”

“Yeah, all good.” Ethan immediately dismissed the concern, not wanting to bring up any of the events that had transpired recently. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate his roommate’s worrying, but he didn’t have time to explain right now, and plus he wasn’t entirely sure he wanted everyone to know exactly what was going on with him and Mark. “Thanks for asking. Talk to you guys in a bit.” He nodded at them both, noting Bryony’s questioning look towards Daniel before he turned and headed back up the stairs. So, Mark had just decided to up and leave in the middle of the night and not tell him. He was going to find out why. When he got back to his bedroom, he found his phone still in the back pocket of the jeans he’d worn for work last night. Pulling the device out, he unlocked it and immediately saw a text from Mark. He plopped down onto his bed to read it since it seemed like a hefty paragraph;

‘ _Hey Ethan. I hope you’re doing okay this morning. I’m sorry that I left without saying goodbye, but in the long run you’ll thank me for it. I’m still not entirely sure what’s happening between us, but I don’t think it’s a regular blood connection because usually that wouldn’t affect the human involved and clearly you’re dealing with some repercussions of whatever is going on. So, whilst I try and find some answers, I think it’s gonna be better for you and me to spend some time away from each other. Don’t worry about our feeding sessions, you’ll still get paid for those like you usually would. And I’m sorry again, but what I’m about to tell you is probably not going to go down well - please don’t try and come to my house to find me because I’ve gone away. I’m visiting my mom in Korea, so I’ll be completely safe, you don’t need to worry. And I’ll already be on my way there by the time you read this, so don’t try to persuade me not to go. All I want is for you to be yourself again, and right now I don’t think you’re dealing with this so well. So, let’s give this a try, okay? With any hope, you’ll be feeling better in no time. I’ll let you know when I’m back in the country. Take care and stay safe.’_

As he’d read the text, Ethan had felt a hollow, void-like pit forming in his chest, spreading down to his stomach and up his throat. Mark had _left the country_ . Had left _him_ . He inhaled shakily, the rational part of his brain telling him that he needed to breathe in order to stay calm. Maybe he could try and call him, talk him round. Immediately his fingers were tapping at the screen and calling Mark’s number, then he pressed the phone to his ear and listened to the dialling tone. As he waited, he lifted his other hand and nibbled at his fingernails, his one bad habit that he _despised_ , that only showed itself when he was well and truly anxious. It went straight to answerphone.

“Fuck,” he muttered, ending the call and opening up google - he had to know how long it took to get to Korea by plane. Within moments, the answer popped up in several of the answers that google supplied. At least thirteen hours. He cursed under his breath and threw his phone onto the bed, then pressed his hands to his eyes, rubbing the heels in until he saw a kaleidoscope of colours in the darkness of his eyelids. It was too late, Mark had left him and he wouldn’t be back for god knows how long. What was he supposed to do now…? As his brain began to slowly spiral into what felt like inevitable panic now he was faced with an indefinite period of time without seeing Mark, his heart began beating faster, subsequently making his breathing pick up speed too. Only just then, the sound of his phone ringing cut through the oncoming panic and he scrambled to grab the device, irrationally believing that it could be Mark. Except the name on the screen said _Margot_ , not Mark. His heart sank in disappointment, but he tapped the green button and put the phone to his ear.

“Hey, Margot.”

_“Hey, Eth! You okay? You sound… off.”_

“Yeah, I’m just… going through stuff right now. It’s hard to explain.”

_“I’ve got time to chat if you wanna vent. Might be good to let it out?”_

“Didn’t you call me for a reason?”

_“Yeah, but that can wait, it’s not super urgent. So, tell aunty Margot everything.”_

Ethan let out a long and shaky sigh, rubbing his free hand over his face. He trusted Margot a hell of a lot more than most people, she had his back and she’d divulged plenty of secrets to him too - he was the only person she’d come out to, and he would take that secret to his grave. Plus, she already knew part of the story since she was kinda in the know about him and Mark…

“Okay, you’d better sit down because this is gonna be long.”

_“Seat acquired. And I have snacks too! Fire away.”_

And so, Ethan poured his heart out, not holding back any detail of the story. He started right from the beginning, the day he and Mark had met no more than a few weeks ago - though it felt like an entire lifetime had passed since then. Margot stayed quiet throughout the whole thing, so much so that every now and then Ethan would have to pause and make sure she was still on the line. As he neared the end of the events that had transpired, coming to the most recent few days, his throat began clogging up with unshed tears and his words came slower. But still, he pushed through, knowing that he would probably feel at least a little lighter if someone else was in on everything. That way he wouldn’t feel so alone in his feelings. As he finished up the story, that was something that hit him which he hadn’t considered before - maybe he was feeling everything so deeply because he had previously had no one to talk to about this other than Mark. And, once he’d divulged every single detail to Margot, he honestly felt as if a weight was no longer pressing down on his shoulders. It didn’t make him hurt any less, he was still devastated that Mark had left, but at least he felt like he could breathe a little easier. For now, at least.

_“Shit, Eth… This is_ heavy _.”_

“You’re telling _me_.” He laughed wryly, tiredly, flopping back to lay on his bed and immediately regretting it because he could smell Mark in his sheets.

_“I think Mark’s got the right idea though.”_ She must have heard the affronted noise he made because she hastily continued, _“Hear me out! You’ve had panic attacks a couple times now which have been triggered by the thought of being without him, right?”_

“Yeah... “

_“So, even though it’s kinda shitty to just leave without talking to you about it first, knowing the state you’re in, I think Mark’s on the right lines. Don’t get me wrong, I probably wouldn’t have gone straight for the deep end right away, but maybe this was also partly to help himself too.”_

“You mean because he’s been struggling with his own urges, right?”

_“Right. Maybe he thinks if he can distance himself from you for a while, he won’t feel the need to track and follow you. Although I don’t know whether that’ll hold if he feeds from you again.”_

“You mean _when_.”

_“I dunno, Eth… What if he decides that feeding from you is too much for you to handle and he ends the contract?”_

Ethan felt like he’d been punched in the gut and he inhaled sharply, breath catching on a lump in his throat. He hadn’t ever thought that that could be a possibility. And it wasn’t even the money that he was worried about, if Mark ever wanted to end their partnership. He _wanted_ to feed Mark, he liked the connection they shared when he gulped down his lifeblood, and _no one_ could feed Mark but him. And then another thought came to him… was Mark going to feed on someone else whilst he was in Korea? Would that violate the terms of their contract? He inwardly cursed himself once again for not reading all of the terms and conditions. His jealousy was burning hot as the image of Mark, kneeling before some faceless person and biting into the inside of their thigh, seared at the front of his mind.

_“Eth? You still there?”_

“...Yeah. Sorry, Margot, I’m just… God, I’m so _fucked_.”

Before Margot could reply, tears began welling in his eyes and he felt a sob crawling up his throat and it forced itself from his mouth as he curled onto his side. As the dam broke, his tears were coming full force now and he sniffled, wiping at his face and taking shaky breaths.

“Sorry, Margot…”

_“Oh Eth… It’s okay, love, please don’t apologise. I need to ask you something that might set you off even more, but I think it’s important…”_

“I doubt anything could make me feel any worse right now.”

_“Do you have feelings for him? For Mark?”_

Ethan blinked rapidly a few times, sniffling as he wiped some of the tears from his eyes. That wasn’t a question he’d ever even thought of, let alone wondered what the answer would be. All of the emotions he’d been feeling the past few days had been sudden and felt like they didn’t belong to him, so honestly he wasn’t sure if, even if he did have feelings for Mark, they were real.

“I have no idea what I’m feeling right now, honestly. It sounds crazy, but lately I haven’t felt in control of my thoughts or emotions and it’s like they’re coming from a place inside of me that’s not... _me_.”

_“This is way beyond us, Ethan. I have no idea what’s going on but it doesn’t sound good if it’s making you feel like you’re not in control of yourself. You said Mark doesn’t know why you’d be affected, right?”_

“Yeah, he said that, when a vampire connects with a human’s blood, only the vampire is affected. He’s never known it to alter the behaviour of the human… I’m scared, Margot…”

_“I’m sorry, love. But one thing I can tell you now is that you’ve always got me, okay? I’ve got your back and if you need to, you can come and stay with me whenever you like. Mi casa es su casa.”_

That made him laugh. He snorted and felt a grin pulling at his lips, then threw a hand over his face.

“I can’t believe you just said that. What a dork.”

_“Hey, it made you laugh, didn’t it?”_

“Yeah, it sure did… Hey Margot, d’you wanna get married and run away together?”

This time it was Margot laughing, her distinct cackling easily heard down the other end of the line.

_“As tempting as that offer is, babe, I just don’t think I could settle down with such a massive twink. Maybe when we’re, like, fifty and no one else wants us, then we’ll talk.”_

“Deal,” Ethan said between giggles, then he took a deep breath as he quietened down. “I just wanted to live a normal life in a fancy place with some vampire money. Why was that too much to ask?”

_“Maybe it was_ fate _,”_ Margot intoned, her voice low and spooky, _“Maybe the powers that be have something special planned for you.”_

“At this point, I’d even take the advice of your tarot cards if they gave me an answer I could work with.” And that was saying something - Ethan supported Margot with her witchy beliefs, but it wasn’t something he himself had any faith in. There was no such thing as magick or destiny. Although, once upon a time, humans had believed that there was no such thing as vampires and here he was, personally entwined in the drama of being involved with one.

_“I doubt you’d wanna hear what they have to say.”_ Ethan’s ears pricked up at Margot’s tone of voice, and he frowned to himself.

“Have you already done a reading for me?”

_“...Maybe.”_

“Margot…”

_“Okay, yeah, I did! The day that Mark came to the cafe, when I got home I asked the cards a few things about you and him.”_

“And…?”

_“Are you sure you wanna know? I mean, you can always change the path your life takes, so it may have already changed since I did the reading…”_

“Just tell me, Margot. Please?”

He heard a deep breath on the other end of the phone - he honest to god didn’t believe in this shit but Margot did and if she was hesitant to tell him what she’d seen, it had him worried.

_“The way that I interpreted the cards that I picked out for you and him told me that there’s an_ incredibly _strong bond between the both of you, like…_ unbreakable. _I don’t really know what that means with vampires and shit, but some of the other cards told me that you’ll be going through a lot of struggle and pain and confusion before a monumental change occurs in your life. And after that change, there’s only clarity and peace. Like, you’ll be at peace within yourself but also with each other. There are other little details that aren’t anything to be concerned about, but that’s the major picture I got for you both.”_

“An unbreakable bond? What the fuck does that even mean?” Ethan groaned and slid a hand through his hair, wishing he hadn’t even asked now since he was falling for witchy bullshit that made no logical sense.

_“It could just mean that you guys are, like, going to be super close and no one will be able to ruin that. Plus, like I said, that was a while ago so if I picked up the cards right now, the reading could be completely different. You’re always in control of your own destiny. The cards just tell me what will be in the future based on what you’re currently doing with your life. Please don’t let it get to you, you don’t even believe in this stuff, right?”_

“Right,” Ethan said through a sigh, “You’re right. I’m just clutching at straws because I feel so helpless, I guess.”

_“I think… you should go cold turkey. Don’t message Mark, don’t call him, nothing. Maybe that’ll help clear your mind and, when he_ does _come back, you can both talk and figure things out.”_

“Maybe that’s for the best,” Ethan murmured, though the thought of not having _any_ contact with the vampire, not even texting him, had knots forming in his stomach. “I just wanna feel in control again, ya know?”

_“So,_ take _control. This is your life, Eth, and you have amazing potential to do so many cool things. Show yourself that you don’t need him. You were fine before you met him and you will still be fine if you never talk to him again. Right?”_

He struggled to agree to that, simply because such a thought - of never seeing or talking to Mark again - had him feeling like all meaning in life was gone. He clenched his free hand into a fist and grit his teeth, forcefully willing away such thoughts. Mark wasn’t anything more to him than the vampire that fed from him, why was he acting like they were anything more? His life was worth more than wrecking his mental health for some guy that he’d just met a few weeks ago. When did he start losing sight of what was most important to him?

“Right,” he said decidedly, sitting up in his bed and then standing up, “I don’t need him. I don’t need anyone.”

_“Except for me?”_ Margot’s voice was light and teasing, but it made him smile nonetheless.

“Except for you,” he agreed, laughing and shaking his head. “Thank you. _So_ much. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

_“Well, maybe you could but it might have taken a little longer. Dealing with shit like this on your own is hard, love. I’m happy that you felt you could trust me with everything, ya know.”_

“You’re, like, one of my best friends,” Ethan said, rubbing the back of his neck and moving across his room to rummage through his cupboard. It had to be in here _somewhere_.

_“Fuck, my little twink is growing up.”_ Margot pretended to sniffle on the other end of the phone and Ethan snickered with laughter. _“You’re one of my best friends too, Eth. I love you, man.”_

“Love you too,” Ethan said genuinely with a smile, “Hey, what did you actually call me for?”

_“Oh yeah!”_ Her laughter rang down the line. _“I just called to ask whether you’d be okay for work tomorrow. After friday, I just wanted to check in on you.”_

“Yeah, I’ll be there for sure. I can’t let my favourite coworker down again, can I?”

_“Whoop! Team TwinkWitch is back in business!”_

Ethan tipped his head back and laughed, grinning to himself as he finally found what he’d been looking for. In his free hand he held his camera, and in his heart he held a newly-renewed passion for doing what he loved.

“‘Kay, I’m gonna go and get my life together. Thanks again, Margot. You’re the best.”

_“I know! Go grab the world by the balls, dude. See you tomorrow!”_

“Bye!” He hung up the phone and smiled to himself, moving to plug in the camera to charge and then headed out to the hallway and into the bathroom to shower.

* * *

No less than an hour later, Ethan was out in the bright LA sun, camera in hand as he searched for inspiration. As he made his way about the city, down roads and streets he’d never been before, he took photo after photo and even shot some footage of the everyday lives going on around him. This was the kind of thing he really loved doing, and it’d been so long since he’d had the chance to get out and do it. And the sun felt so good on his face as he looked up every so often, just taking a moment to soak it in and smile to himself. He probably looked like a weirdo, but he didn’t care, he felt better than he had in a long time. After spending a few hours filling up the memory card on his camera, he made his way back to the house and grabbed a snack and drink before making his way to his room. Sitting down at his desk, he immediately plugged the card into his laptop and began sorting through all of the photos and videos that he had captured. He was… proud of some of these. Sure, his camera wasn’t the latest model and he was a little rusty, but the photos were decent and he could probably edit the videos into something neat. It was for no particular reason at the moment, aside from getting back to a sense of normality that he hadn’t felt in a long time, but he’d actually had _fun_ . He spent a good hour or two messing around with what he had, trying out different editing styles, before the alarm on his phone went off. Glancing at it, he realised he’d _almost_ forgotten that he had a shift at the club tonight. Thank god it was a sunday and he wouldn’t have to be there for too long. Saving all of the editing he’d done so far, he then shut down his laptop and got changed into work clothes. As he was contemplating what to eat before his shift, it also occurred to him that maybe he should think about handing in his resignation - he had to give the company two weeks’ worth of notice before he could quit, so now was probably as good a time as any to write out the letter to his manager. Ripping a piece of paper off the notebook on his desk, he sat back down for a moment to scribble out a quick, fairly generic letter of resignation stating the date that he would be working his last shift - exactly two weeks from that day. As he sealed the letter in an envelope and wrote his manager’s name on the front, an air of finality settled over him. Only two more weeks’ worth of working at the club and then he would finally get some time to himself - during which he needed to get looking for a place of his own. Maybe the new start to his life hadn’t begun the way he’d expected, but he was going to get there. He just knew it.

As soon as he’d got to the club, he wasted no time in making his way to his manager’s office and leaving his resignation letter on the desk there. And with that, his shift began. He felt significantly more lighthearted as he worked through the night, knowing that things could begin to look up now. The only time that he had a bit of a wobbly moment was when Evie had asked about his boyfriend, AKA Mark. He’d stiffened up a little, not having allowed himself to even think of his name throughout the day, and turned to his coworker with a tight smile.

“He’s gone to visit his family for a while so you probably won’t see him again before I leave.”

She seemed genuinely sad about not getting the chance to hang out with the both of them more, and he made a note to keep in touch with her once he’d quit the club. He was nowhere near as close to her as he was to Margot, but she was sweet and had really been a friend whilst he’d worked here.

By the time 1am rolled around, Ethan was more than ready for bed. He grabbed his belongings, walked out of the building with Evie, and waved goodbye to her when they turned off in different directions - to the left for him to get to his bus stop, and she took the right to walk the few blocks to her apartment. As he rode the bus home, it was weird to not be constantly glancing out of the corner of his eye and seeing a dark figure tail him throughout the journey. He swallowed down a lump in his throat, oddly feeling a little lonely and more open to danger without Mark following him home. Logically, he knew that before he’d met Mark he’d done just fine travelling to and from work in the dark, late at night, and so he kept that thought in mind as he sat curled up to the window trying not to fall asleep to the rhythmic lull of the movements of the bus. As expected, the journey was uneventful and he eventually ended up back home, in his room, sliding gratefully into bed. Except… the relief of getting to sleep was short lived when he pressed his face into the pillows and smelled Mark there. He felt a twinge of longing settle deep in his chest and his face screwed up as he tried to push it away. This lasted for a few moments until a thought came to him - maybe he should try and just ride out these emotions rather than pushing them away or bottling them up. Perhaps that would be a better way to get through it. And so, after taking in a deep, shaky breath, Ethan let the smell of Mark wash over him as he curled up on his side. With the scentl surrounding him, the pain bled into his entire body and hot tears began spilling from his eyes until he fell asleep.

* * *

**_*7 days after Mark left*_ **

The past week had been nothing short of hell on Earth for Ethan. That’s not to say that he didn’t have good moments because, when he was at work, mostly he could concentrate on doing his job - especially with people like Margot and Evie around him. However, he couldn’t be at work 24 hours a day. It wasn’t even that he would constantly think about Mark when he wasn’t at work, it was just that the little things were always the triggers and when they hit, they hit _hard_ . One of the most _stupid_ triggers had been when he’d cut his finger when slicing some veg for dinner, and it happened to fall on the first Thursday since Mark had left - pretty ironic being that Thursdays were when he and Mark would have their feeding sessions together. After the initial shock of pain, Ethan had watched a drop of blood sliding down his finger and immediately had a gut-wrenching need to ask Mark if he was feeding from anyone in Korea. He just about managed to shake himself out of the daze to find a plaster for the wound, but then before he knew it he’d typed out and sent a text to the vampire asking where he was getting blood from out there before he could stop himself. He immediately felt shame flood his heart and he texted Margot to tell her he’d slipped up. She’d reassured him that this was bound to happen, it was tough to go cold turkey, but now he’d slipped up once it would be easier to stop himself if he was tempted again. And that was true. Mark hadn’t replied to his message, so clearly he was doing the whole cold turkey thing as well, and he was partly grateful since it made it easier for him to not be tempted to reply. Things began looking up, however. After another trip around the city before this week’s Sunday night club shift, he had plenty more photos and videos to edit, and since he was feeling more and more happy with them - and with Margot’s encouragement - he made an Instagram account especially for his photos. The first post was a shot of a dog he’d spotted lounging on a balcony of someone’s apartment within the city, the pooch’s head laid on its paws as it watched the world go by beneath. The caption he slotted in under the photo? ‘Oh, to be a dog watching the world pass by without a care in the world.’

* * *

**_*15 days after Mark left*_ **

He was finding it a little easier to not have thoughts of Mark in the back of his mind constantly. There were even some days when he’d not think of him at all, and then the next time he’d find himself drifting through memories which involved the vampire, he was surprised at the ease with which he’d managed to distract himself. Although, he supposed, he did have other priorities in his life now - yesterday had been his last shift at the club, and Evie had sneakily gotten him a little tipsy towards the end of their shifts by using her free drink allowance on him. Whilst their manager had been busy at the other end of the bar, she’d make up a shot and slide it his way, then proceeded to pester him until he downed it. He may or may not have texted Mark on the bus ride home - checking his phone this morning, it had been some bullshit about how he was missing him - but since he’d been tipsy he forgave himself. These things happened when you weren’t one hundred percent sober. And now here he was, able to focus on his _one_ job at the cafe as well as editing his own photos and videos. He’d gotten a few good responses to the new Instagram and it made his chest swell with happiness to be creating things by himself and to put them out into the world. He did, however, take a turn for the worst in terms of his mental health when a certain customer turned up at the cafe around lunchtime that Monday - Beth, the human facilitator of the meeting the day he and Mark had met. She’d bustled up to the counter, typing rapidly on her phone until she came to a stop and looked up at Ethan. Her face lit up immediately and she smiled widely.

“Ethan! Gosh, it’s so nice to see you again, I didn’t know you worked here. How are you?”

Ethan gulped hard and forced a smile onto his face - the sudden influx of memories of the day he’d met Mark were overwhelming his brain, making it difficult for him to perform basic social tasks.

“Good to see you too. I’m doing okay, how’re you?”

“Oh, I’m just great, honey, work is picking up and I get to meet all kinds of lovely people such as yourself and Mark.”

The name of the vampire was the final nail in the coffin and he could feel his heart picking up speed, so he went full force into expert barista mode - the quicker he was done with this interaction, the quicker he could escape out the back and collapse into a heap of nerves.

“That’s great to hear. What can I get for you?”

“Can I just get a large caramel latte to go? I didn’t get much sleep last night and I have to keep myself awake, I’m meeting a friend for lunch!” She giggled to herself and Ethan just about managed a chuckle as he put the order through the till and took her payment. After he’d directed her to wait at the end of the counter for the drink, he got to making it and she wouldn’t stop chatting about everything and nothing all at once. He nodded and made small comments every now and then, not listening intently, and finally he set the latte down in front of her with a smile.

“One large caramel latte. It was nice to see you, Beth.”

“And you, honey! Say hi to Mark for me!”

With that, she took the drink and waved at him before walking out the door. Finally the anxiety that had been building in his chest picked up speed and he stumbled out the staff door to the back, already trying to catch his breath. Margot had been out there washing up some cutlery since it was quiet at the moment, but she looked around in alarm at Ethan’s hyperventilating.

“Ethan? _Shit_ … Okay, breathe, love, you’re doing great.”

She dried her hands, then situated herself a little distance away from him, but made sure he could see her in his line of vision. She held out her hands placatingly and made her tone of voice quiet.

“You’re doing great, Eth. Breathing is good. You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

Tears stung his eyes as he squatted down to the floor, his hands coming up to rest on his head as he listened to Margot’s words. Her voice was the only anchor he had to stop himself from being swept out in the sea of anguish that was threatening to overtake him. As she vocally counted his inhales and exhales, his thundering heartbeat slowed to something more regular and the thoughts of impending doom in his head dissolved away to make room for a numbing sensation. He sank down onto his knees and sniffled, wiping at his nose as he lifted his head to finally look Margot in the eyes.

“I’m sorry, I just... “ He shook his head, unable to form coherent words, and she shushed him before squatting down to gently wrap her arms around his shoulders.

“Don’t apologise, it’s okay, love. I guess something triggered you, huh?”

He nodded and squeezed her in return with one arm whilst the other kept wiping his face clean.

“One of the women who oversaw the meeting when me and Mark first met just came in. I just… it hit me all of a sudden…”

“I’m so sorry, love. Here, let me get you some water and you can stay out here, okay? I’ll handle customers, you take all the time you need.”

She gave him one last squeeze before getting up and filling a glass with cold water, which he accepted gratefully and slowly sipped. As he did so, Margot rubbed his back soothingly and eventually he stood back up, moving to the sink to wash his hands.

“Thanks, Margot. I think I’ll be okay for a bit, you can head out.”

“Okay, love. Give me a shout if you need anything.”

She gave his shoulder a squeeze, then bustled through the door out into the cafe. He heard her apologise to a customer that had been waiting at the counter, and finally he allowed himself to deflate, leaning on his hands against the washing up sink. One thing was for certain, he really needed a therapist…

* * *

**_*4 weeks after Mark left*_ **

Ethan was feeling a little more… consistent. He had himself a routine now, working during the weekdays and checking out apartments on the weekends, all whilst keeping up with his photography instagram account. What’s more, he’d also managed to find himself a therapist and a few days ago, he’d had his first session with him. It had been a _lot_. There was only so much detail about Mark he could divulge to the guy, of course, but to get out all of his emotions and confusion at where they were stemming from was helpful. He’d cried a lot and left the meeting feeling more exhausted than he remembered being in years. However, it had been good to hear someone other than Margot tell him that his feelings, whether he felt he was in control of them or not, were valid and he shouldn’t try and shove them away. Having the weekends to himself was another positive, and after a few weeks without having to work at the club, he managed to find an apartment that he really, truly liked. It had felt warm, inviting, and he could envision himself making a home there. And so he’d put down a deposit and was given a moving in date - next weekend. Somehow it seemed to work out that the moving in date coincided with the cut off date for his latest rent payment for the house he was currently living in. Maybe some of Margot’s beliefs about destiny had some kind of root in the truth after all. After his first therapy session, with all the talk of Mark - leaving out details about him being a vampire and their exact relationship to one another - Ethan’s thoughts had drifted to just how long he was going to stay in Korea. It’d been a couple weeks since he’d texted the vampire, with no response of course, and truly he just wondered what he’d been getting up to whilst there. Korea must be a place with such a rich, vibrant culture, there must be a hell of a lot for Mark to explore whilst he was there. Though, every so often, a worrying thought came to him - what if Mark had deleted his number and decided that it was best for both of them to not ever see each other ever again? What if he thought that disappearing from Ethan’s life was for the best? Ethan couldn’t exactly fly out to Korea to force him to talk, since he had no idea where he would be - a whole country wasn’t exactly narrowing down the search. Besides, he didn’t even know Mark’s mom’s name to help with a possible address. He didn’t know a whole lot about him, to be completely honest… Why did he think he deserved anything from the vampire when he’d barely known him more than a few weeks before he took off?

* * *

**_*2 months after Mark left*_ **

Ethan was settled into his apartment finally. All of his packing boxes were flattened and stored in the spare room and he’d gradually picked up a few pieces of furniture. His rooms were still fairly bare since he couldn’t exactly haul huge items across the city without a car, so he’d mostly filled his rooms with decorative items so far - these mainly consisted of movie posters and merchandise. It was a little weird to be living on his own, having been used to the previous house with three other people to share with, but he liked having his own space. This apartment was _his_ , he could do with it whatever he wanted. The first person he wanted to come and chill here was Margot, she’d been a huge help and a great friend to him especially these past couple months. They needed to hang out so that she could see just how perfect this apartment was. It was a Saturday, late morning, when he was pottering about cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast when he got an itchy, nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He cast it to the back of his mind for now, planning on doing some of the coping techniques for sudden anxiety that his therapist had taught him this past month once the kitchen was clean. After the last of the surfaces had been wiped down, he put the sanitiser spray back on the shelf he’d designated for cleaning supplies and moved to the breakfast bar. He pressed a button to wake up his laptop which was sat open from where he’d been watching youtube videos whilst eating breakfast, then opened up the programme that his therapist had created an account with for him. It was a specialist programme created by experts in the field meant to help people with anxiety work through their emotions and map out where they stemmed from. Just before he sat in the chair in front of the laptop, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Nonchalantly, he pulled it out as he sat down, only to stare, unmoving, at the name on the home screen. _Mark_. All of the therapy and dealing with emotions and thoughts hadn’t prepared him for the moment that he’d come face to face with him again. Well, not quite face to face, but as good as, considering the reaction he was having. With an unsteady hand, he unlocked his phone and read the text message from the vampire that had just come through;

_‘Hi Ethan. I’m back in LA. Can we meet?’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl the whole time I was writing this chapter all I could think of was Bella throughout the majority of New Moon lmfao. Imagine if this chapter was just Ethan sitting in one spot wasting away because Mark had left him.
> 
> If you managed to make it to this point with almost no presence of Mark, I thank you for your dedication! Also, again, if the amount of Margot in this chapter was annoying, I apologise but now hopefully you can see why she was needed! I doubt she'll be heavily involved in any other chapters so rest assured. :)
> 
> And for my final word... There's a storm comin', Harry. >:)
> 
> Much love to you all, thank you so so SO much for the support, I've literally got over 400 kudos on this, like wtf?!  
> Your lovely comments and interesting theories are super helpful to keep me motivated! Hope you're all doing well and staying safe. See you in the next chapter <3


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are very real people with real feelings and lives so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

Ethan had agreed to meet Mark on the condition that they talked in a public setting - mostly so that, just in case his emotions got out of hand again, they didn’t have anywhere to escape to in order to have sex. Ethan  _ hoped _ that he’d worked on his mental health enough in the past couple months so that he didn’t feel tempted to sleep with Mark again, but he hadn’t had any contact with the vampire the entire time, let alone come face to face with him - perhaps all of his work would unravel when he came into close proximity to the guy he’d been trying so hard not to obsess over.  _ No _ , he chided himself,  _ you’ve got this. _ And so, after texting to ask Margot if he could finish work early on Monday and to arrange cover, he and Mark agreed to meet at 1pm at the cafe. That way, they’d both be in a public place surrounded by other people - including someone close to Ethan that knew the whole situation - and if he needed to drop everything and get out, he’d feel safe in doing so. He and Mark hadn’t really spoken much during their texts except for details to do with meeting up, but Ethan was grateful for that because he wanted to get everything off his chest in person so that Mark could  _ see _ how he’d made him feel.

When Monday rolled around, Ethan’s stomach was in knots the entirety of his shift. Margot had apparently sensed his nerves since she was constantly giving him words of reassurance and encouragement, every so often squeezing his shoulder or his hand. For that, Ethan was  _ unbelievably _ grateful. Otherwise, it would have been easy to slip off into his own head and become snowed under all of the worries and  _ what ifs _ . Shortly before 1pm, Ethan excused himself and slipped out the staff door to get out of his uniform. He’d be lying if he said that he hadn’t planned out the outfit he was going to wear to see Mark for the first time in two months, but he hadn’t picked out anything fancy. A simple, pastel blue T-shirt and black skinny jeans with slip on vans was his attempt at looking like he didn’t care what he wore but that he still had enough style to step out nonchalantly looking good. After splashing his face with cold water in the staff toilet, he took a long, deep breath and steeled himself for anything that could potentially be said between the both of them when they came face to face again.

As he approached the staff door which led back out into the cafe, Ethan could feel his heart hammering in his chest and he mindfully kept his breathing as steady as possible to try and calm it. He didn’t preemptively peek through the window of the door to see whether Mark had already arrived since he didn’t want to provoke himself into chickening out. Instead, he pushed through the door (with as much confidence as someone putting the majority of their energy into remaining calm could manage) and headed straight for his favourite coffee machine behind the counter to make himself a drink, not looking at anything other than his intended destination. Margot cleared her throat as she moved to stand beside him, pretending to wipe a stubborn stain off the counter in front of the coffee machine so that she could lean close to talk quietly to him. As he steamed the milk for his mocha, he listened to her softly talking to him, not making any move as if to suggest they were chatting.

“He’s over by the window with a coffee. He watched you walk out just now,” Margot muttered, using the noise of the steamer to her advantage in order to disguise their conversation from any potential vampires listening in with incredibly good hearing.

“Well, he can watch me for a little while longer then, can’t he? I’m hungry,” Ethan said quietly in return, glancing at his colleague and friend who gave him a grin in return.

“Ouch. Loverboy’s gonna get his ass handed to him.” Margot giggled, then moved again, this time towards the cabinet which displayed their array of food products for sale, “What do you wanna eat?”

Now popping the lid on his finished coffee, Ethan walked over to stand beside her and he leaned his arm on her shoulder as he browsed his options - he knew he was  _ definitely _ putting on a bit of a show for Mark to look as if he really didn’t care that he was back or that he was in a hurry to meet with him, but could anyone blame him? Served him right for disappearing to Korea in the middle of the night for two months without so much as a goodbye.

“I think I’ll have the cheese and pickle,” he finally decided, moving away from Margot so she could reach in and grab the sandwich, and she cut it in half and plated it up for him.

“Enjoy,” she said warmly, reaching to squeeze his free hand before she placed the sandwich in it, “Go get ‘em, love.”

With that, she smiled and winked before turning away to carry on with work, and Ethan’s only option now was to walk with his head high over to where Mark was sitting and take a seat opposite him. And so that’s what he did. Coming out from behind the counter, he caught his first glimpse of Mark after two  _ months _ and his brain really hadn’t done him justice. No amount of detailed memories could capture just how beautiful this man was.  _ Damn _ him. As he walked over to the table, heart still pounding away, he saw Mark pretend to look up as if  _ just _ noticing him, and he lifted a hand in greeting. Ethan nodded since he had both hands full, and after the short walk over he set his sandwich and coffee down on the table between them.

“Hi, Ethan.” 

_ God _ , he’d missed that voice. After pulling out his chair and settling in it, he finally allowed himself to take a longer look at the vampire in front of him.

“Hey, Mark.”

His hair was longer, that was obvious - so much so that he’d partly tied it back into a small, messy bun, with the rest of his hair just left about his shoulders. It was a good look for him, it made him appear laid back and calm. Ethan took a bite of his sandwich and, as he chewed, his gaze travelled across the rest of his features - countless things that he’d almost forgotten about, it felt like an eternity since they’d last seen each other… Mostly just his hair was different, he still looked like the same Mark from before. Only thing was, there was something  _ off _ about him. He couldn’t place it for certain, but the only way he could describe it in order for it to make sense was, if Mark was a computer, then his screen brightness was turned  _ way _ down low. Ethan had seen Mark almost  _ glowing _ after their feeding sessions, but the Mark before him now was dull and gloomy. That definitely didn’t make any sense but he couldn’t shake the feeling.

“How are you?”

What a question to start with. Did Mark even really want to know? How long did he intend on sitting here with him? Because the answer Ethan would give, if he wanted the truth, was not a short and sweet one.

“Do you want the short answer or the truth?”

Ethan looked up from taking a bite of his sandwich, levelling Mark with an almost challenging stare - he  _ wanted _ to tell him everything he’d been through these past couple months, wanted him to sit there and  _ have _ to listen to every little detail about the pain and struggle that Ethan had endured. All because of him. He needed to know because Ethan sure as hell wasn’t willing to go right back to normal as if nothing had ever happened. He owed it to himself to make sure that the vampire knew just how  _ shitty _ he’d made Ethan feel.

“The truth,” Mark replied, meeting his stare and at least having the decency to look remorseful, “I know it must have been… hard, at first.”

“That’s an understatement,” Ethan said with a humourless snort, shaking his head as he looked out of the window next to them, “You could’ve at least fucking waited til I woke up before  _ leaving the country _ .”

He saw Mark wince out of the corner of his gaze, and he felt a tiny bit pleased that just the beginning of his venting made him feel bad. Good. There was a hell of a lot more to come. Thankfully he remained silent, letting Ethan take the lead in the conversation. And  _ boy _ , was Ethan going to take the lead.

“I’m not gonna sugar coat it to make you feel better, I’ve felt like  _ shit _ these past couple months. Maybe you had a blast finding yourself out there in Korea, but I’ve not had that luxury. It’s been a rollercoaster. Sure, I had good days where I wouldn’t think of you, but then other days some  _ stupid _ little thing would trigger me and I’d have a breakdown. You know who I saw here a while back?”

Mark shook his head, not even opting to speak up to answer now.

“Beth. From our first meeting? She was none the wiser obviously, but she asked about you and I lost it, Mark. My head has been all over the place and I’ve been seeing a therapist. Obviously I can’t tell him every single detail about you, so I haven’t dealt with everything fully, and having radio silence from your end did  _ not _ help.”

“I thought it would be better for you to have space from me…” Mark’s voice was so quiet, so reserved, that Ethan almost didn’t recognise it, and his hands were wrapped around his coffee cup, fingers linked with each other as he gazed at Ethan attentively.

“Well, maybe in some ways it was, but you coulda gone about it a  _ hell _ of a lot better,” Ethan snapped, eyes flashing with hurt as his head whipped around to face Mark, “Not just disappear in the middle of the night without so much as a goodbye.”

“I’m sorry… Truly...”

“Just don’t,” Ethan shook his head and looked away once more, taking a sip of his coffee, “I  _ needed _ you, Mark. And you just took yourself out of my life for two months. I didn’t know if you were ever gonna come back!”

“I was always gonna come back,” Mark offered, and something in his voice had Ethan meeting his gaze again. “I… don’t think I have it in me to stay away from you anymore...”

“What does that even mean?” Ethan’s voice was quiet, and he was shocked to realise that he was afraid of what Mark would say in response.

“Korea gave me a lot of answers,” the vampire murmured, “Most of which I need to talk to you about because, well, it’s all pretty heavy.”

“If you’re going to tell me something important and then just disappear again, I’d rather you leave me out of the drama. I  _ just _ got back to feeling as if I could live for myself, and if you’re going to come along and wreck my brain again, I don’t think I could handle it a second time…” Ethan’s method of attack that had previously taken control of the conversation was slowly disintegrating into something rather vulnerable and frightened, and his voice shook as if his fears were threatening to spill out into the world. “So, unless you can promise me that you won’t leave again, I don’t want anything to do with it. With…” His throat closed up on the last word, unable to say it out loud and have the notion out in the world for them both to hear. He took a deep breath, swallowed the lump in his throat, then tried again. “If you can’t promise not to leave again, I don’t want anything to do with… you.”

There. He’d said it. And the thought of tearing himself away from Mark now they were face to face felt like ripping out one of his teeth, leaving a void in his chest. Tears were freely streaming down his cheeks now and he sensed a presence stood at his elbow, knowing it to be Margot just from the sight of her shoes in his peripheral vision.

“Ethan, you okay?”

He saw Mark tear his gaze away from his face to glance up at Margot as if he’d just remembered that other people existed in the world. The vampire’s eyes flickered across her face curiously, and Ethan realised that they’d not formally met. He wiped at his eyes before glancing up at his friend with a watery smile.

“I’m good. Margot, this is Mark. Mark, this is my colleague and friend, Margot.”

Watching as Margot strode confidently over to Mark and shook his hand with two firm double pumps had Ethan’s chest warming a little - if this conversation ended badly, she would help him through it, he knew for sure. Mark, on the other hand, looked almost uncomfortable, as if he was holding himself back from something as he gave Margot a tight smile.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise! Hope you had fun in Korea.”

She turned back to Ethan, laying a hand on his shoulder briefly.

“If you need anything, just give me a shout, love.”

With that, she gave him a warm smile and headed back behind the counter, but Ethan only had eyes for Mark as the vampire narrowed his eyes at her retreating figure.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, frowning as he tried to figure out what Mark could possibly be thinking. Why had Margot thrown him off so bad?

Mark looked at him, pupils dilated, and he saw the vampire clenching his hands into fists on the surface of the table so much that his knuckles were turning white. Ethan shuffled forward in his chair, sensing some sort of vampire urges rising to the surface of Mark’s consciousness, and lowered his voice.

“Whatever you’re thinking, everything is okay. We’re both safe, nothing can harm us here. Mark, listen to me. Listen to my voice. We’re both safe, do you hear me?”

Whilst he was in no way feeling very amicable towards Mark right now, he  _ had _ to try and calm the vampire down from whatever urges were trying to take hold of him - it wasn’t just him in danger now, there was Margot and all of the other humans in the vicinity to protect. So he would do all in his power to stop Mark from potentially doing something harmful. He watched as the vampire’s hands loosened out of their tight grips and he appeared to deflate, almost.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered, sighing and pressing a hand to his face as he leant his elbow on the table, “Being away from you was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and now we’re face to face everything is… on full volume. Seeing you with other people makes me almost blind with jealousy, I’ll be honest…”

“Okay,” Ethan said slowly, leaning back a bit in his chair and taking a deep breath, “So, don’t focus on anyone else, just look at me. Tell me what you found out. I’m listening.”

He pulled his coffee into his lap and curled his hands around the warmth, settling into a mindset where he was ready to hear everything Mark had to say.

“I don’t even know where to start,” Mark huffed out a humourless laugh and shook his head as he sat back up and joined both his hands in front of his face, leaning his chin on his fists. “I should probably warn you that the things I found out are not going to be good to hear. I think you won’t want to see me ever again, but I have to tell you the truth.”

Ethan simply raised an eyebrow questioningly, not wanting to interrupt. Mark seemed to take the hint, nodding to himself before continuing on. As he talked, Ethan finished off his sandwich.

“When I was in Korea, I told my mom about everything that’s happened between me and you. She knows I’m a vampire, and she’s always checking up on me to make sure I’m doing okay. So when she heard the story, she told me about this community group of vampires in the local area who act as a kind of information point for curious humans and new vamps. I mean, I was at a loss by this point, none of my vampire connections could shed any light on the situation. So, I tagged along to one of their community meetings.”

“And?” Ethan urged, taking small, slow sips of his coffee now that the sandwich was finished.

“They were  _ really _ helpful. And somehow, they were surprisingly familiar with some of the issues we’d gone through. When I described how I’d been feeling and how your behaviour had been changing too, they instantly recognised the, uh, root of the problem, for lack of a better word.”

At this point, Mark dropped his hands and laid them on the arms of his chair, levelling Ethan with a serious, yet reluctant gaze.

“I understand if you want to sever all ties to me once I tell you what they told me. I don’t  _ want _ to never see you again, but I will totally respect whatever decision you come to, okay?”

“You’re kinda scaring me, Mark…”

And he wasn’t even exaggerating. Surely, from the way Mark was being overly cautious around the subject, whatever the vampires in Korea had told him wasn’t good news. Why else would he think Ethan would want nothing to do with him?

“Here’s the thing, Ethan. It turns out that vampires can have… mates. Like, you know how some animals have a mate for life? Well, apparently the same goes for vampires too, except it’s  _ way _ more literal since we can’t die. And apparently the mating bond only occurs with two people that are compatible. It’s not like you can pick and choose your mate, or date around until you decide who’s best. When you find them, you’ll  _ know _ .”

Ethan’s brain faded into white noise as he took in those words and why Mark would be bringing up such a subject in regards to the events surrounding them before he left. As he kept thinking of possible theories and circling back to the same conclusion, his heart began thumping hard in his chest and he had to set his coffee down on the table again since his hands began shaking. Mark carried on speaking since it became apparent that Ethan had descended into an eerie silence.

“Okay, so… all of the behaviours we’ve both been displaying ever since I began feeding on you are signs that we, uh, are in the beginning stages of the courtship process of mating. It’s all very animalistic and because you’re human it’s even more complicated. But basically, the first time I tasted your blood, when we met, was the start of it all. From that point the courtship process started and since I kept feeding from you, it only got worse for me. Hence the, uh, stalking. My body instantly recognised you as my mate for life the second it got a taste for your blood, and now it expects reciprocation - which is impossible for a human. I’m so so sorry, Ethan… I didn’t even know that this was a possibility.”

There we go. Ethan’s conclusion had been right. What the  _ fuck _ . He became slowly aware that both his legs were bouncing beneath the table and that one of his hands had moved so his fingers could tap against the wooden surface.

“Ethan? Say something…”

Finally he managed to zone back into the conversation somewhat, looking up to meet Mark’s eyes. If the vampire had looked faded and dull before, he seemed completely and utterly  _ wrecked _ now. Yet, as always when he spoke to Ethan, he was attentive and only focused on him. Huh. Was that part of whatever the fuck this whole mating thing apparently was?

“What exactly does the whole mates thing mean for us? Is it, like, ever going to wear off? Am I ever gonna feel normal again?”

“Okay, so the main thing we have to be concerned about is the fact that you’re human and, according to the vamps in Korea, that means you can’t fully reciprocate the mating bond. Like… your human biology is limited and can’t physically process and manage the reactions that are trying to take place inside you. That’s why your emotions and behaviours have been all wonky lately, because your body and brain are trying to figure out how to reciprocate the mating bond, but you can’t quite grasp it because your biology physically,  _ can’t _ . Apparently, if we hadn’t slept together, you wouldn’t be affected by the process, but because you had my venom in your system that one time, your body has woken up to the bond and is trying to fulfill its need to mate.”

“Waitwaitwait…” Ethan held up a hand to interrupt. “Since when have I had your venom in my system? When the fuck did you do that?”

Mark looked sheepish and he dipped his head to gaze at Ethan’s shoes for a moment or two.

“When we slept together. If a vampire bites a human during sex, it’s almost impossible for them to not secrete their venom into the human’s system. It’s like an involuntary reflex action. Our venom is known to act as an aphrodisiac so you probably weren’t even aware it was happening. I’m sorry, I thought it was common knowledge…”

“What the  _ fuck _ …” Ethan sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Doesn’t your venom turn humans into vampires?”

“Not without some other steps being taken first, like the body being drained of blood. In small doses, the human body can withstand our venom and not be affected negatively so long as the human doesn’t have some kind of antibody deficiency. Make sense?”

“I guess.” Ethan huffed in confusion and kept rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “So what you’re saying is that some part of my body connected with your venom and recognised the mating bond?”

“Exactly that. And because, essentially, vampires can only be mates with other vampires since our biologies enable the mating bond to lock into place, the chemical reactions going on in your body right now are affecting your emotions and behaviours badly. Human bodies are far more limited and fragile than ours and they don’t have the capabilities of maintaining such a bond. The only way that a human would be able to reciprocate the bond is for them to be turned and then the mating could be, uh, consummated for lack of a better word. I’m sorry, this is all so new and complex, even to me… It’s not widely known to the vampire world that we can have mates.”

To his credit, Mark did look sincerely apologetic and emotionally shattered. And he’d had to deal with this information all on his own for however long he’d known. Ethan, on the other hand, didn’t know how to take in any of it, didn’t even know where to start or what was most distressing out of all of the issues coming to mind.

“Can we stop it?” Those were the words that surfaced most in his brain, and he supposed it truly was the most important question for him. He just wanted to feel normal again, surely that wasn’t too much to ask? Apparently it was, if the look on Mark’s face was anything to go by. It made Ethan feel a little nauseous, in all honesty.

“Afraid not,” Mark finally answered after what felt like an eternity of silence. “A vampire mating bond is  _ literally _ forever and once the process begins, there’s no stopping it. It’s a permanent bond and once the two mates have found each other, they won’t want anyone else. The Korean vamps told me that they believe it’s an evolutionary thing, like our kind has evolved over time to gain the ability to form a bond with another vampire so that we don’t have to be alone for eternity. They also said that they’re doing research into it but it’s hard to gain a lot of data since it’s apparently a relatively new concept. Hence why it’s not been heard of over here.”

Ethan was truly struggling to take in all of the information being thrown at him. How was he supposed to deal with any of this? He was a human and he had  _ not _ signed up to be a part of some vampire mating bond. He had no plans to be turned and, regardless of how much his brain was screaming at him right now for thinking such a thing, he didn’t intend on spending the rest of his life with Mark. Any thoughts he had at the back of his mind telling him otherwise didn’t belong to him, they were being forced onto him by whatever vampire bullshit he’d become ensnared in.

“I… what am I… I can’t… Mark,  _ please _ …”

He didn’t know what he was asking for, but he just wanted this all to not be happening. He never wanted to be part of some complicated vampire drama, all he’d signed up for was to offer his blood to some rando vamp in order to get loads of money in return. Where had it all gone so wrong? And why him?

“What, Ethan? What can I do to help you?”

Mark’s hands slid across the table towards his but he snatched them away and anxiously wrung the both of them together in his lap.

“I just want it to stop. I don’t wanna be part of this. I can’t do this.  _ Please _ …”

“I’d stop it if I could, I promise,” Mark said sincerely, and as Ethan looked into his eyes he knew it to be true - even if there was also some sort of pain there. But that didn’t make him feel any better. If anything, it was worse because they had both been forced into this scenario when they didn’t want anything to do with it.

“Is there nothing we can do to ease how badly we’ve been affected?” At this point, he would try basically anything to get back to normal. Or as close to normal as possible. Mark gave him a strange look, and it had him panicking even more.

“The only thing that’ll make our bodies calm down is if we consummate the bond, which is impossible with you being human.” His voice was grave, low, and he finally dropped his gaze to the table.

“I never wanted any of this!” Ethan groaned and slid down in his seat, pressing his hands to his face and digging his nails into the heels of his hands. “I just want it all to stop!”

“I know,” Mark said softly, “I would stop this all for you if I could. There was only one thing that they advised us to do to help ease our erratic behaviour, aside from the obvious...”

“What’s that?” Ethan asked immediately, lowering his hands to fix Mark with a desperate look, “I’ll do whatever it takes. I feel like I’m going insane, Mark.”

“They said that if we spent as much time with each other as possible, then we could possibly get back to feeling normal again. It’d stop me following you, and you’d get less anxious when you’re away from me.”

“How the fuck are we supposed to do that?” Ethan felt like he was a fish flailing out of water, trying to find the pond he used to call home but it was nowhere in sight. Everything that Mark told him just seemed to make that pond disappear further away towards the horizon.

“We could live together.”

Ethan’s head snapped up to fix Mark with an incredulous stare and then he frowned.

“I just got settled in my apartment, I’m  _ not  _ moving out now.”

“I was thinking more…  _ I _ move in with  _ you _ ,” Mark said quietly, the look on his face somewhat hesitant and maybe  _ hopeful _ ? “We can stay out of each other’s way, we don’t even need to talk to each other, if that would make you feel comfortable. It’ll be like we’re flatmates, and I’ll pay my way with the bills, even. I really think it’ll make it easier on us until we find a better solution. But it’s up to you, I would never force you into something like this.”

Ethan kept searching Mark’s face, a small, whispering voice at the back of his mind trying to persuade him to say yes. It was a traitorous little voice telling him to go along with anything that Mark suggested, that they were going to become mates and there was no way that he and Mark could ever be apart ever again. He pushed that voice away, shovelling it into a dusty, dark space full of cobwebs in a corner of his brain and told it to shut up before chucking the shovel into the void of his mind. Just because some crazy vampire biology trait was messing with his head, didn’t mean that he was going to be a slave to it. But he also needed a clear mind for now whilst he tried to carry on making something of his life, and according to Mark the only way to ease their erratic behaviour was to spend as much time near to each other as possible. Even if it seemed like the complete opposite of what would help. But, he was willing to try anything to feel normal again.

“Okay,” he finally gave in, sighing as he rubbed a hand over his face, “Fine. But we really need to find a more permanent solution because we can’t live together forever.”

“Of course.” Mark nodded, and there was a small smile on his face, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Shall I gather some of my things as soon as possible?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Ethan shrugged and then slid forward to rest his head in both hands, fingers sliding through his hair. “What choice do I have?”

“You always have a choice, Ethan,” Mark said seriously, “I would never make you do something you didn’t want to do.”

“I know, I know.” He sighed again, looking back up at the vampire. “I’m sorry for being so shitty, but you have to understand that these past couple months have honestly been the worst of my life. If I’d just had  _ one _ text from you, maybe it wouldn’t have been half as bad…”

“I truly am sorry.” Mark leaned forward and rested his hands on the table, fingers woven together. “I believed it to be the best way. I just… couldn’t handle seeing you struggling. I knew that if I’d waited to leave until the morning, you would’ve tried to stop me from leaving and we wouldn’t have made any progress. But I promise I won’t ever do anything like that again.”

“That’s a hefty promise to make, Mark,” Ethan said quietly, then held out his hand, sticking his pinky finger out, “Promises don’t mean anything to me unless they’re pinky promises.”

Mark managed a laugh and Ethan watched as a hint of warmth reached his eyes for the first time since they’d reunited. Nevertheless, the vampire reached out to link his own pinky with Ethan’s and they shook on it. “I pinky promise not to up and leave in the middle of the night again.”

“Okay, well that’s a good start.” Ethan gave a small smile and they unlinked their pinkies, though admittedly Ethan had enjoyed just that tiny bit of contact. As mad and hurt as he still was, it was good to have Mark back in the country. Hopefully he wouldn’t devolve back to the way he was before the vampire left for Korea because he really did feel as if he’d made a lot of personal progress in the past couple months - despite the occasional setbacks. “So, uh… living together. That’s gonna be interesting…”

“Like I said, we don’t  _ have  _ to do this. It was just the advice I was given. It’s all up to you, whatever you’re comfortable with.” Mark sat back in his chair and shrugged, “I’m easy to live with, I think. I mean, I haven’t lived with anyone apart from Chica in over five years but I don’t have any  _ awful _ habits.”

Ethan actually managed a giggle this time and he hid his smile behind a hand, shaking his head as he glanced out of the window, then back to Mark. “Dude, it’s  _ okay _ . I have  _ way _ too much space in my new apartment so even if you do start to bug me we can just migrate to different rooms and leave each other the fuck alone for a while.”

“As long as you don’t mind me setting up a space to record videos, I will be totally out of your way.” Mark placed a hand on his chest over where his heart was and bowed his head, as if he was swearing on an oath.

“Like I said, plenty of space to go around. I’ve got, like, a spare room that I’m not using for anything right now so as long as you don’t mind tidying up a little clutter, you can have it for recording.” Ethan gave a one-shouldered shrug and then downed the rest of his coffee like a shot. “D’you, uh, want some help moving your stuff?”

Mark appeared to blink a few times before responding. “Well, it would be handy but only if you want to. I can make multiple trips.”

“Why do that when I’m here to offer an extra pair of hands?” Ethan smiled wryly and stood up, “Come on, let’s get going. Did you drive here?”

“Uh, yeah actually.” Mark faltered somewhat before he followed Ethan’s lead and stood from his chair, and they both moved to deposit their cups and plate at the end of the counter. Margot appeared, collecting it up in a pile, and she gave Ethan a quizzical look mixed with more than a dash of concern.

“Everything okay, love? You heading off?”

“Yeah, me and Mark are just gonna go talk a bit more, but I’ll text you in a bit, okay?” Ethan smiled warmly at her, then walked around the counter to give her a one-armed hug. “Thanks for everything, Margot. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay, love. Let me know if you need anything.” She beamed at him and ruffled his hair with her free hand before disappearing out the back with their cups and plate.

“Right, let’s get out of here.” Ethan turned around and saw Mark watching him with a look in his eyes that he couldn’t quite read. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. It’s just… weird being back and seeing you again. After two months of not even texting you, to have you right here in front of me is kinda jarring.” He gave a quick shrug. “That probably doesn’t make any sense.”

“No, I get it,” Ethan reassured with a small smile, “Well, you won’t have to deal with feelings like that anymore because you’re not going anywhere, remember?”

“You’re right there.” Mark smirked, and they headed out of the cafe to the parking lot. Within minutes they were in his car, buckled up and on their way to Mark’s house. On the way, they discussed how much of his belongings the vampire would need to pack up and how they’d have to make sure Chica didn’t mess in the back garden too badly too often because it was a shared yard with the apartment below Ethan’s. Whilst his downstairs neighbours seemed nice enough, he didn’t want to test their patience too much.

When they eventually pulled into Mark’s garage, they both hopped out and made their way into the house, only for Ethan to stop short just inside the doorway. A hollow pit opened in his chest as he took in the familiar smell of Mark’s cologne which was  _ super _ strong here - it’d been obvious in the car, but here it was overpowering. Did he use it as a room spray or something?!

“Ethan? Bud, you okay?” Mark closed the door behind them and he stopped next to Ethan, watching him with concern. After a moment, he took a deep, steadying breath.

“Yeah, all good. It’s just your cologne is  _ so  _ strong, dude.” He tried a little laugh but it came out all weird.

“Ethan, I don’t think that’s cologne you can smell,” Mark said slowly, his voice all of a sudden much, much more quiet, “I haven’t sprayed any since I got back on Saturday. I think… you’re smelling  _ me _ .”

“What do you mean?” Ethan frowned in confusion.

“It’s, um, one of the behaviour changes,” Mark tried to explain, “Part of the mating bond is being able to recognise each other by scent and pheromones, that sort of thing. I can always smell when you’re nearby. It’s the first thing I notice aside from your pulse and the sound of your blood.”

Ethan didn’t know what to say… He supposed that made sense, given that what he was smelling was not really like any cologne he’d ever smelled before. What else could or would change in their behaviour because of this bond that they had going on? Would it all disappear once they’d figured out a solution to ease it? After shaking his head, he gave a shrug.

“I guess that makes sense. Well, don’t let that stop us. Let’s get packing.”

And with that, he and Mark proceeded to pack up his most essential belongings into bags and boxes, making the preparations for Mark to begin his temporary move into Ethan’s apartment, all whilst Ethan attempted not to linger too much on just how  _ good _ Mark smelled...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo now you know what’s going on. Did anyone guess right? Or close? I’m probably gonna lose a hell of a lot of readers now because of the whole mating bond thing but 🤷🏼♀️  
> Also just wanted to let you all know I’m probably gonna take a little break to catch up on Uni work and rest for Christmas so a new chapter won’t be up until at least after Christmas Day. In that case, Merry Christmas to everyone and if you don’t celebrate, have a lovely day regardless and stay safe everyone! Also, if I don’t post an update before 2021, Happy New Year and good riddance 2020! <3


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are very real people with real feelings and lives so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

Living with Mark was… weirdly easy. Sure, he got out of bed at stupid o’clock in the morning to go for a run and  _ then _ take Chica for a walk, but he was without a doubt the best flatmate he’d had, like, ever. He cleaned up after himself, mostly, did his fair share of chores and never got in Ethan’s way, true to his promise. And it hadn’t even taken them too long to fall into a rhythm of living together. A week ago, after Ethan had helped Mark move all his essentials into Ethan’s apartment, they’d ordered takeout, watched a movie in near silence and then gone to bed - separately, of course. There was still something of a tension surrounding the both of them, which made Ethan realise that he hadn’t actually asked Mark how  _ he _ had been doing whilst he was away. In all honesty, the vampire didn’t look great. Obviously he was still healthy and going about what Ethan assumed was his daily routine, and they chatted briefly as they passed each other around the apartment, but something about Mark just wasn’t  _ right _ . It was similar to the feeling he’d got when they initially reunited at the cafe last week - the energy surrounding the vampire was dimmed, and Margot had even commented something about his aura being wonky. Ethan had no clue what that meant, but if it wasn’t just him to notice then surely something must be up. So, after doing his own regular Saturday morning routine - letting himself lay in, then having a long, luxurious shower - he made his way to the kitchen in search of breakfast and Mark, only to find two steaming plates of eggs already sat waiting on the breakfast bar. The vampire he’d been in search of turned around with two cups of coffee and set them next to the plates, looking up at Ethan with something of a sheepish smile.

“Hey. Thought I’d make you breakfast since you’ve been kind enough to let me stay here for a while. I hope I made your eggs the way you like ‘em.”

The vampire gestured to the plate he’d designated for Ethan and then slid onto one of the bar stools, a bottle of hot sauce in his hands.

“You didn’t have to do that,” Ethan said softly, moving around to shuffle onto the stool next to Mark’s and gratefully appraise the plate of food in front of him. “They look good though. And… I’m intrigued. Hot sauce?” He gave a pointed look to the bottle in Mark’s hand and the vampire chuckled before beginning to pour some of its contents on top of his eggs.

“It’s actually  _ so _ good. You should try it!” Once he was finished, he offered the bottle to Ethan who hesitated before shrugging.

“What the hell, I’ll try anything once I guess.” He poured a little onto some of his eggs close to the edge of his plate just in case he hated it, then forked some into his mouth. As he chewed, he sensed Mark watching him in his peripheral vision and knew he was waiting for a verdict. After swallowing it down, he licked at any remnants inside his mouth then turned to the vampire, smiling wryly. “It’s not bad, but I think I’ll leave the hot sauce for dinner. Kinda weirds me out having it so early in the day.”

“Suit yourself,” Mark said with a chuckle, a small grin on his face, then he turned to begin eating his own eggs.

For a while they both sat there in companionable quiet, enjoying their breakfast and taking sips of coffee in between the mouthfuls of eggs. Ethan appreciated quiet in the morning since, when he wasn’t at work, it took him approximately five hours to wake up once he’d gotten out of bed. However, quiet was not what he was looking for right now. No, he had some things he wanted to ask Mark. Things he needed to know.

“So, uh, I haven’t actually asked you yet, but how was Korea? Aside from finding answers, I mean.”

Ethan took a sip of coffee and watched as Mark chewed on his eggs thoughtfully, not meeting his gaze just yet. Instead, he looked out the window - at what, Ethan had no clue.

“Well, it’s a beautiful place. Great culture, great people. But, well… I didn’t exactly have the time of my life out there.”

“What do you mean?”

This time Mark did look at him, and the look on his face spoke volumes about the things that he hadn’t told Ethan of his time away. Had he struggled just as bad as him?

“I guess I’ll ask you the same question you asked me last week - do you want the easy answer or the truth?”

There was no bite to his words, in fact there was little to no emotion at all - mostly neutral, perhaps to keep hiding whatever had happened from Ethan until he decided if he wanted to know about it or not.

“The truth, obviously. You know how hard it was for me, but I never asked about how it was for you. I want to know.”

And he truly meant that. Yeah, he was still hurting after Mark had left the country without warning and he was having a hard time trusting that he would still be there every morning when he woke up, but he genuinely cared about him. Regardless of whatever fucked up vampire lore they’d become tangled up in, Ethan considered Mark to be a friend and he missed the simpler, if few, times they’d spent together before it all became complicated. He wanted to know how he felt and wanted to support him in any way that a friend could.

“Okay, well… honestly, I haven’t felt this awful since I was a newborn. You’ve probably heard how tough it is for us to get used to the changes that come with becoming a vampire, right? Well, in Korea I could barely leave my mom’s house. The only way I can describe how I felt that makes any sense is like… similar to being thirsty, except I wasn’t. Kind of like withdrawal I guess? And I suppose it makes sense now because I was thousands of miles away from you and I haven’t fed from you in  _ so long _ …”

That lit up a thought in Ethan’s brain and he set his coffee down, turning in his chair to fully face Mark.

“That’s right. But you’re not thirsty right now, so you must be getting blood from  _ somewhere _ …” He tried not to let the irrational jealousy seep into his voice but felt like he didn’t quite manage it.

“Government-approved donations,” Mark clarified, making a face, “In most countries, so long as you have a valid VID, you can turn up to a donor bank and purchase blood bags if you need it. It’s not great, I’ll be honest. Obviously it’s not fresh, so it doesn’t taste as good, and you can’t be picky and choose the type either. It’s kinda like being on a no sugar diet - you get what you need but it’s not satisfying. And, well… it’s not  _ yours _ .”

Ethan felt his face flush and he glanced away, trying hard to fight a smile but he failed miserably. Why was he  _ proud _ that no blood could compare to his?

“That’s another thing,” Mark continued, glancing away for a moment to take a sip of coffee, “I thought that my dislike of the donor blood was just because it’s not fresh, yada yada yada, but the vamps in Korea actually told me that once you get a taste of your mate’s blood, you’ll never enjoy another’s. And… it’s true. Obviously I drank the blood bags, but it was a  _ necessity _ . Imagine, I dunno, you find a cake that is the best tasting cake in the whole world, and then when you try to eat your breakfast the next day it’s essentially bland and flavourless. You eat it just because you’re hungry. But all you can think about is that cake, and no matter what else you eat, you can’t taste it. All you want is that cake.  _ That’s  _ how I feel about your blood. Nothing else is ever gonna satisfy me.”

Ethan shivered, goosebumps rising to his arms and he forced himself not to make eye contact with the vampire. He  _ knew _ that Mark hadn’t meant the double entendre and yet it still sat there at the forefront of Ethan’s mind. What he didn’t want was for them to become distracted with each other and start making out or something when he wanted to have a serious talk with Mark. They  _ needed _ this talk. He needed Mark to know that he still cared about him and wanted his friendship.

“Well, uh… I can kinda tell that the diet you’re currently on isn’t working. The no-Ethan’s-blood thing  _ really _ isn’t good for your complexion, hun.” He’d put on a character voice for that last sentence, wanting to lighten the mood just a little but keep them on track.

Mark snorted and gave him a side-eyed glance. “You don’t have to tell  _ me _ how shit I look. Mirrors do also exist in Korea, you know.”

Ethan couldn’t help but giggle and he hid his grin behind his hand, feeling a tiny bit bad.

“If it makes you feel any better,  _ I _ still would.” He threw an overly-exaggerated wink Mark’s way and the vampire scoffed, essentially facepalming as he took in Ethan’s flirty banter.

“God, you’re really awful, you know that?” Mark shook his head as he finally looked at him, a smile pulling at his lips, “But thank you. My ego is inflated once more.” With a sniff, the vampire sat up and slid a hand through his hair, looking off into the distance with a smoulder.

“Alright, Cullen, stop making that face.” Ethan slowly grinned, poking his tongue out between his teeth since he  _ knew _ that the reference to Twilight would get him going.

“You did  _ not _ just call me that.” Mark turned towards him slowly, and it almost looked as if his eye could start twitching any moment. “I am  _ nothing _ like that fucking sap of a vampire.” He sniffed once more, looking somewhat offended as he turned away from him.

Ethan giggled again, this time not bothering to hide his smile. “Dude,  _ chill _ , you’re nothing like Edward Cullen, okay? Don’t get your fangs in a twist. Besides, there’s no  _ way _ I’d let Edward Cullen feed from me. You, on the other hand…?”

He didn’t know what reply he was expecting from Mark, but he was at least expecting  _ something _ . When all he got was silence he wondered if maybe he’d said something wrong.

“Mark? Are you okay?”

The vampire turned back to him and Ethan noticed that he was clenching his jaw, and as his gaze lowered he saw that his hands were tucked into fists, the skin over his knuckles pulling taut over the bone.

“Just… gimme a minute.”

Mark’s voice was strained and gritty as he scrunched his eyes closed and his head twitched slightly, as if he was batting away some irritating thought.

“Was it something I said?”

“Kinda,” Mark muttered, inhaling deeply and audibly through his nose as he flexed his fists. “It’s the mention of… feeding from you. Just the thought of it, after so long. It’s kinda painful, I’m not gonna lie.”

Ethan blinked once, then went quiet as thoughts began swirling around in his head. He didn’t want Mark to suffer unnecessarily, if he could help it. And he really hadn’t fed from him in a long time… If he’d only had blood bags for two months, he must really be craving Ethan’s blood.

“Then feed from me,” he said simply, not looking away as Mark’s head whipped up so he could stare at him, “I’m still your partner, that’s never stopped. And Mark, if nothing else, I’m your friend - I don’t want you to suffer if I can do something to ease your pain.”

“You’d  _ do _ that for me?” Mark asked, looking uncertain, probably because he didn’t want to get his hopes up in case Ethan changed his mind.

“Sure I would.” Ethan offered him a smile and tipped his head to one side. “Besides, you just cooked me some  _ banging _ eggs, dude, you deserve a little something special.” He grinned as he watched Mark chuckle, a smile stretching across his face.

“I can’t argue with that,” the vampire conceded. He then looked at Ethan seriously. “Thank you, though. I do appreciate it a lot.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Ethan said softly, shrugging to try and brush off the seriousness of Mark’s tone, “I was your partner before it all got complicated, right? And I still am. Whatever’s happening at the moment doesn’t change that. We can go back to weekly feeding if you’d like.”

Mark was fully, unabashedly staring at him now, and he watched as the vampire’s adam’s apple bobbed in his throat. He knew just the thought of being able to feed from him again was probably pretty hard for Mark’s vampire brain to deal with and the human part of his brain was probably trying to keep in control of his thoughts and behaviours.

“I’d really like that,” he finally said, his words slow and deliberate, and Ethan knew his theory was correct from that alone - Mark was keeping his speech slow since he was methodically maintaining each and every one of his actions. “Though, uh, I don’t wanna push my luck but if you do want to do this, sooner rather than later would be best.”

“No time like the present,” Ethan said, hopping off his stool, “Good timing, since we just ate. I’ll have bundles of energy and won’t pass out again.”

“Do you have anything that can be used as a weapon in this apartment?” Mark suddenly asked, his gaze unwavering from where it was zoned in on Ethan’s face. “Because you may need it. It’s gonna be my first time tasting you in a  _ while _ and it might make me act… weird.”

“Uh, I mean, there’s the chef’s knives?” Ethan suggested, jutting his thumb over to the magnetic strip on the tiled wall of the kitchen that held an array of professional knives for cooking.

“Good enough.” Mark nodded stiffly and Ethan saw him swallow again. “Grab the one that could do me the most damage and we can start.”

Ethan nodded back and he walked across the kitchen to grab the biggest, most sharp knife from the collection. As he looked it over, the sunlight filtering in from the window glinted off the metal and he admired the polished sheen of the makeshift tool of self defence. Turning back to the vampire, he saw that Mark was now off the other stool and watching him closely. He remembered the advice he’d given him the first time he fed from him, to never move too quickly in the presence of a thirsty vampire since they might take it as a trigger to start hunting. And a human in the direct vicinity of a hunting vampire stood no chance of survival… With that in mind, Ethan took slow steps towards Mark and then passed him, into his living room, and he steadily sat down on his couch. Within seconds Mark was next to him, his presence weighing heavy at his side. Ethan put the knife on the other side of the couch, away from Mark, still trusting him enough to not have it in his hand despite everything that had happened in the past few months they’d known each other.

“Okay, come on then. Drink up.”

He tipped his head to one side, angled away from Mark so that his neck was bared to him, and he shifted to get a little more comfortable in his seat.

“You’re one hundred percent sure?”

Mark’s voice was gravelly, and without even looking at him Ethan could sense the strain as he spoke and knew that he was holding himself back.

“Yep, for sure. Go for it, Mark.”

He heard a shaky breath closer to his ear now, and felt the couch cushion that he was sat on dip beneath the weight of the vampire who’d leant in towards him. A hand slid to his thigh, close to his knee, as breath ghosted across his neck.

“I’ll bite after 3,” the vampire murmured, voice low and not quite human, and Ethan shuddered, the feeling reverberating throughout his entire body. “1, 2, 3…”

A sharp pain flared at his neck as Mark’s fangs breached the surface of his skin and then sank in deep. After little less than a few seconds, his blood was spurting into Mark’s mouth and he felt his vampire partner’s hand tighten on his thigh in response.

“Take what you need, Mark,” he breathed, one hand gripping the edge of the couch cushion and the other, without thinking on it, slid up the vampire’s back and traced meaningless shapes with his fingers into the muscles there. In response, a moan vibrated at his neck where Mark was gulping down his blood and clearly enjoying the double sensations of feeding and Ethan’s gentle touches. He fought to keep in control of his mind throughout the experience, overwhelming thoughts clouding his brain trying to seduce him with images of Mark above him, on top of him,  _ inside _ him. Images of Mark rocking into him as he drank Ethan’s blood, not stopping until Ethan saw stars and couldn’t keep his eyes open, images of a red raw bite mark on his chest, directly above his heart. Images of Mark lifting his head from the bite, mouth dripping with Ethan’s blood and his eyes pools of molten gold. It was with a start that he was yanked back into real life as a strangled moan of his own name was wrenched from Mark’s lips along with a gasp, and he felt the vampire’s hips jerk erratically against the side of his own hip - he’d shifted during the feed to partially straddle Ethan’s lap so as to apparently rut against him. Ethan blinked rapidly as he realised far too many things at once - one, Mark had  _ clearly _ just come in his pants if the rapidly spreading wet spot at the front of his joggers was anything to go by; two, that meant that he’d most likely injected his venom into Ethan’s bloodstream again; three, that  _ also _ meant that time had passed  _ quick _ whilst he’d been enveloped in the visions in his brain; and four, Ethan’s free hand - the one not now tangled in Mark’s hair - was down his own pants, palming his own erection through his boxers.  _ Fuck.  _ Whatever happened to trying to cool things down? Literally a week had passed since Mark had come back from Korea and they’d already almost fucked again. Well,  _ practically _ fucked since Mark had already gotten them halfway there and from the hardness he felt against his own palm, he would’ve been close behind too.

“Want some help?”

He didn’t know how long they’d both been frozen there in the moment, both of them trying to figure out where this left them and how they’d gotten back to this point in the first place. But Mark’s voice was warm, gentle, and above all else he sounded  _ satisfied. Sated. _ Sheepishly, Ethan chanced a glance up at the vampire who was still half straddling him and felt his heart thump quickly out of rhythm at the sight of his partner glowing once more. Of course, it wasn’t  _ literally _ a glow - though Margot would disagree - but just from the way he held himself and the look in his eyes, Mark was a completely different person from the guy he’d been before he’d fed. Even his  _ hair _ seemed more shiny.

“Or, uh, I can leave you to it if you’d be more comfortable that way.”

Fuck, in his admiring of the vampire he’d forgotten that he’d asked him a question. And whilst his brain screamed at him to not turn Mark down, he knew that he could  _ not _ relapse again after he’d worked so hard to get back some semblance of regular mental health. Keeping sex out of the equation as much as possible would help to keep his mental stability on track.

“Uh, it’s not that I’m uncomfortable, I… just think we shouldn’t.” As he spoke the words, they felt heavy on his tongue and his heart sank as Mark immediately climbed off him and adjusted himself in his joggers - he’d have to go change clothes now, at the very least.

“I’m sorry, Ethan,” the vampire spoke quietly, and Ethan made to interject but Mark spoke over him, “This wasn’t my intention. I didn’t even realise what I was doing until it was too late.”

“It’s okay, I get it,” Ethan offered. He gave a small smile and, as subtly as possible, pulled his hand out of his pants, “Please don’t feel bad. I’m just glad to have helped.” Even if his erection was insistently reminding him that it needed attention, trying to distract him from allaying Mark’s worries.

“It was perfect. Thank you, Ethan.” He still looked embarrassed, but he suddenly jumped to action, “Shit, let me get you cleaned up.”

With that, Mark moved in a flurry around the kitchen and collected cleaning supplies, and before Ethan could even register it, the vampire was sat next to him and wiping gently at the bite on his neck with sterile antibacterial wipes. Once it was clean, he covered it with a gauze and Ethan released a deep breath, then grabbed the knife at his side and handed it to Mark.

“Thanks for cleaning the bite. Would you mind putting this back? I just need to use the bathroom.”

Mark took the knife and gave a nod in response, not saying anything about the obvious reasoning as to his sudden need for the bathroom, but his gaze did flicker down to the bulge in Ethan’s pants.

“Sure, no problem. I’ll tidy away the breakfast stuff, then I’m gonna do some recording for a while. Come in if you need anything though.”

The vampire shot him a smile as he got up off the couch and made his way back into the kitchen to put the knife back in its place and wash up. Ethan noted the invitation within Mark’s last words that lingered in the air, but he shook it away - literally  _ and _ mentally. All he needed right now was to hurry to the bathroom and get rid of this erection as quick as possible. And so, that was what he did. Within minutes he was upstairs, locked in the tiled room, leaning heavily against the door with his hand back down his pants. Tilting his head back, eyes shut tight, he worked himself up just the way he liked, only the images in his head weren’t the usual ones he’d conjure up in his brain when he jerked off - this time, it was a vampire that featured in his fantasies, a vampire with wavy, dark hair, sun-kissed skin and delicious thighs. These pictures were the ones that pulled him over the edge in less than two minutes, his breathing ragged as his head span and his dick pulsed. Once he’d calmed himself somewhat, mind still reeling with the sound of Mark moaning his name earlier, he tucked his dick back into his pants and then washed his hands. As he dried them, he stared at himself in the mirror and took a long, deep breath. 

This couldn’t keep happening. If he and Mark started getting horny  _ every time _ they had a feeding session, it was going to become a problem. But how were they supposed to  _ get _ around that problem? He still wanted to be Mark’s human partner, that was for certain - especially now that he knew that no other blood was ever going to satisfy him. So how were they supposed to stop wanting to fuck each time Mark drank from him? Was it… the bond? He loathed to think about everything the Korean vampires had told Mark, hadn’t even allowed himself to think about it this entire week, but there was something not normal about the way they both reacted to Mark feeding on him. It wasn’t uncommon for vampires to get horny every so often when they fed, especially from a human they found to be tasty, but this was verging on abnormal territory. Plus, Ethan had definitely lost some semblance of time during the feed since he felt like it’d been mere moments, however Mark had gone through the whole process of getting hard  _ and _ having an orgasm whilst Ethan was surrounded by the vivid images that had flooded his mind. Things just didn’t quite add up. And if it  _ was _ because of the bond… was it because their bodies knew they needed to consummate it? Were their bodies working of their own accord to try and “mate”, even though Mark said it wasn’t physically possible with one half of them being human? And  _ just like that _ , an idea flashed up at the forefront of Ethan’s mind. If their bodies were craving intimacy, maybe they should give it to them. He and Mark hadn’t had sex outside of feeding, had never had sex just because they enjoyed each other’s bodies and wanted to bring each other pleasure. Maybe if they just fucked once outside of feeding, their bodies might calm down a little and they wouldn’t find themselves rutting like animals every time Mark drank his blood. It didn’t have to  _ mean _ anything - they could just have sex once, get it over with, and then go about as normal.

With the idea reverberating through his mind and hope singing in his heart for the first time in a while, Ethan ran a hand through his hair and then headed out of the bathroom. He walked down the hall to what used to be the spare room and was now designated as Mark’s recording room, then knocked on the door. After a pause, he heard from inside the room the offer for him to come in, and he did just that. When he stepped into the room, he was bathed in the blue and red ambient lighting that Mark set up for the background of his videos, and so he closed the door behind himself so as to not disrupt the vibe of the room. As the door shut, Mark turned on the spot with a smile, pulling off his headphones. The blue and red lights cast shadows across his face at flattering angles and Ethan felt his heart rate pick up speed.

“Hey Ethan, what’s up?”

No beating around the bush, he told himself. Out with it. He  _ knew _ they were both attracted to each other, there was no doubt about that. So he had nothing to worry about by propositioning Mark like this.

“I think we should fuck.”

In answer, he watched Mark blink rapidly a few times, the rest of his body still, unmoving.

“Uh, did I hear that right?”

“Yup.” Ethan nodded and balled his fists up at his sides, then took a deep breath and forced himself to relax, his fingers uncurling from his palms. “I know you’re attracted to me, and I know that  _ you _ know I think you’re hot. I wanna cook for you some time. How about tonight? I’ll make us both dinner and then… we’ll see where things go.”

Again, another pause as Mark did his best impression of a computer being turned off then on again. He finally seemed to finish rebooting, making himself rest his headphones around his neck and then lean back against his computer desk. The vampire’s arms folded over his chest, and Ethan thought to himself that Mark was  _ so cute _ trying to appear cool and casual whilst being propositioned for sex. Acting as if it happened every day and was no big deal.

“Okay, sure,” Mark finally replied, voice smooth and soft, as he gazed steadily at Ethan, “Dinner tonight. And then… dessert afterwards.”

Ethan felt a blush creep up his neck and into his cheeks but he managed a coy smirk and scrubbed a hand through his hair again.

“I look forward to it,” he said genuinely, breaking out of the seriousness to playfully blow a kiss to Mark as he moved to the door once again. As he opened it, he saw Mark “catch” the kiss and press it to his chest, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically. “I take it back, maybe you  _ are _ Edward Cullen after all.” He saw Mark flip him off and laughed almost giddily before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. Through the wood he heard the vampire shout, “Asshole!” This only made him laugh even more and as he walked away he called back, “You love me really!”

And so, the night’s plans were beginning to whir about in Ethan’s head.  _ Shit _ , he had to make dinner now. Why had he even offered? Mark probably would’ve agreed to fuck without all the pretence beforehand. Well, he guessed it was a good enough distraction from obsessing over what it was going to be like to have sex with Mark. Like  _ really _ have sex… Deciding his cupboards and fridge didn’t have enough ingredients to make a decent meal, he texted Mark to tell him he was going shopping and then headed out to walk the few blocks to the grocery store, his head full to the brim with recipe ideas and the occasional NSFW image of what tonight may have in store for the both of them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoooo I’m back!  
> Hope you’re all doing good :)  
> Ngl I’m kinda 50/50 about this chapter but hey, it’ll do hahaha! Lemme know what you thought! And ALSO - as I’m posting this, we’re at 499 kudos like wtf!!!! Are you all okay??? :’) All jokes aside, thank you so much, I love you all! <3


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Legit this is pretty much just smut except there is a *~sprinkling~* of plot development so yeah if you don’t wanna read about a human and a vamp getting it on very explicitly, maybe don’t read this.
> 
> Also, as much as I tried to psyche myself up with sexy songs whilst I wrote this, I settled with Take Me To Church by Hozier. But, ya know, it actually kinda fits. Listen whilst you read if you wanna get reallllll into it.
> 
> One more thing, slight tw: neck grabbing?? idk if it will trigger anyone but at some point during the sexy stuff someone’s neck gets grabbed a little, like not choking at all but eh idk I thought I’d warn you just in case!
> 
> As usual, this is a work of fiction in an alternate universe and the boys are very real people with real feelings and lives so please don't bring up shipping/fanfiction with them, okay? Great!  
> Hope you all enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome x

The dining table was set. Two places were laid out with cutlery and glasses and soon would be filled by himself and Mark. Speaking of, the vampire had, for the past hour or so, been locked away in his room with strict instructions to Ethan not to come in. Ethan wondered what he’d been doing up there this whole time. He hadn’t heard anything to indicate his activities either. The vampire knew that dinner was on the way since Ethan had told him, so there was no way he’d forgotten about it. How could anyone forget being so bluntly propositioned for dinner and sex? 

From the back of one of his kitchen cupboards Ethan had found a few candles, wanting to set the mood for the meal - even if it  _ was _ a little cheesy. After placing them strategically in the middle of the table and lighting them, he brushed his hands down the front of his shirt and exhaled a deep breath. He wasn’t  _ nervous _ , per se, it was just the kind of fidgety anticipation that came with knowing you’d be getting laid at some point during the course of the evening. And that the guy you were going to fuck was a vampire who was inhumanly good looking. To distract himself from delving into those thoughts too deeply, he moved to the full length mirror on the wall in the hallway and looked himself over. Whilst the meal had been in its final stages of cooking in the oven he’d rushed upstairs to shower and get himself looking good and, well, desirable for want of a better word. He rolled up the sleeves of his deep blue button down shirt to his elbows and secured them in place, then brushed his hands down over the black skinny jeans he’d chosen to compliment the shirt. As he gazed at his reflection, he took in the way that the deep hues of his shirt highlighted the flecks of green in his irises and, well… he wasn’t someone who was usually overly confident in their appearance, but as he looked at himself he was actually  _ happy _ with how he looked? He looked  _ good _ . His hair had even decided to behave, and he’d swept it over to one side of his head and kept that in place with a little product. Whilst he’d been getting dressed earlier, he’d contemplated putting on some cologne but then remembered Mark saying that he had his own scent and could always recognise him by that smell. And if the way Mark’s scent smelled to  _ him _ was any indicator as to how good he smelled to the vampire, he didn’t want to cover that up with synthetic smells. If they were doing this, they were doing it  _ right _ \- Mark would be more likely to feel in the mood if he could smell  _ Ethan _ , as naturally and purely as possible.

He was brought out of his self-admiration by a beeping alarm back in the kitchen, and as he registered that that was the signal that dinner was ready, a low swooping feeling made his stomach flip.  _ Time to have some fun _ . He hurried back into the kitchen and stopped the timer, before pulling their food out of the oven.  _ Other  _ people would say that he’d just made mac and cheese, but  _ other  _ people didn’t know just how good he made it.  _ His _ mac and cheese had three different kinds of cheese melted in with the pasta, as well as additions of jalapeños, bacon, cauliflower and mushrooms.  _ Beautiful _ . If Mark wasn’t putty in his hands after eating this, he would be surprised. As he pulled the dish from the oven, the smell overwhelmed his senses and his stomach seemed to grumble in response. He spooned  _ generous _ helpings of the pasta into two bowls - they were going to need the energy, after all - and heard footsteps above him and guessed that Mark must have heard the timer go off, signalling that it was time for him to join the party. He was just carrying the bowls over to the dining table when he heard Mark’s heavy steps coming down the stairs now and he smiled to himself, trying to mentally prepare for whether or not Mark had decided to dress up. Because if he  _ had _ , then he was just as fucked as Mark hopefully was about to be. Even  _ without _ dressing up, Mark was quite possibly the most beautiful being Ethan had ever seen. Though he would never tell him that - okay, maybe one day, but probably not anytime soon.

“Hey, I have something for you.”

At the sound of the vampire’s voice close by, Ethan looked up expectantly and was met with the sight of a red rose. Except when he took the time to properly look at it, he noticed it wasn’t a real rose, but rather one made of folded paper. His eyebrows shot up towards his hairline at the realisation that  _ this _ was what Mark had been doing up in his room this whole time. Carefully he took it from him and held it gently in his hand, admiring the skilful folds of paper.

“It’s beautiful, Mark! Thank you. This looks like it was a pain in the ass to make…”

“I’m sorry it’s not a real one - you didn’t give me much time to go out and buy any for you, so I made do with an origami tutorial.”

Finally he looked away from the origami flower up to the vampire who’d gifted it to him and he was once again flawed, though this time it was due to the  _ masterpiece _ in the form of man stood before him, smiling warmly yet apologetically - as if he even had anything to apologise for. Mark looked… Ethan didn’t even have enough words in his vocabulary to describe how  _ criminally good _ the vampire looked. He made himself take his time in checking him out, and didn’t bother to try and make it subtle. Mark had showered too, from the way his hair was glossy and fluffy, and he’d managed to tame it partially back into a bun with the rest falling freely about his shoulders. Ethan  _ really _ liked his hair this way. It was good for keeping  _ just  _ enough hair out of Mark’s gorgeous face whilst also leaving some free for, oh, perhaps someone to pull or stroke their fingers through… Ethan cleared his throat, distracting himself from those premature thoughts.  _ Dinner first _ , he reminded himself.

“You look…  _ really _ good,” he said, licking his lips and offering a smile as their gazes locked once more. And he meant it. His hair was just the  _ start. _ Mark had dressed in a dark grey denim shirt (the same one he’d worn to the club the night before he’d left for Korea), unbuttoned, revealing a plain white T-shirt underneath. The denim shirt’s sleeves were rolled up to the elbow, like his, except this helped show off his toned forearms which would’ve had Ethan drooling if he had no dignity left. As for trousers, Mark had settled on some form fitting black slacks that clung to his thighs - the sight of which had heat crawling up Ethan’s neck. Yeah, he was done for. At this point, if they fucked fully clothed he would  _ not _ complain.

“Stole the words right outta my mouth.” Mark’s smile widened into a grin and Ethan watched as the vampire’s eyes tracked the same points on his body that he’d just studied on him. “Honestly Ethan, you’re  _ gorgeous _ .”

Burning heat continued to creep up his neck and now flooded into his cheeks at the compliment. His own smile widened and he pressed his lips together - he’d never been one to know how to respond to kind words, especially about his appearance.

“Thanks, Mark. You know, you really didn’t have to get me anything - not that I don’t like the flower! I just mean, uh, I wasn’t expecting anything…”

“Well, flowers seemed like the right thing for this sort of occasion,” Mark said levelly, his hands sliding easily into the pockets of his slacks. Ethan followed their movement, unable to help himself from letting his gaze slide over just a couple inches to the part of Mark concealed by his trousers that he was hopefully going to become  _ very _ well acquainted with tonight. “Or, if what you’re looking at right now is anything to go by, maybe I shoulda just wrapped myself up in nothing but some ribbon with a bow on top.”

Ethan’s eyes widened as he caught onto those last words and he raised his gaze once more, the burning in his face only getting worse as he caught sight of the knowing smirk adorning Mark’s lips now. He tried to steel himself, sucking in a breath and laying the origami rose down on the table next to his bowl of food, still waiting to be eaten.

“Where’d the fun in that be without a little foreplay first, huh?”

He chanced another look up at the vampire who continued to look like the cat who's got the cream and, much to Ethan’s dismay - okay, partly dismay, partly excitement - Mark began slowly moving towards him. When they were within a couple feet of each other, the vampire leaned in, their faces inching ever closer, before swerving slightly at the last minute, his breath ghosting across Ethan’s ear.

“Believe me, with or without foreplay, it’s  _ always _ fun when it comes to you and me,” he whispered, and Ethan could have moaned just from hearing those words. This was going to be a long and torturous meal, with the mood Mark seemed to be in.

“Well, as much fun as it may be, I’m not gonna let my cooking skills go to waste, so let’s eat up first, huh?” Ethan tried to keep his voice even and somehow just about managed, but something made Mark chuckle and as he pulled away his lips  _ just _ about skimmed the edge of Ethan’s jaw.

“I suppose it  _ would _ be rude not to taste the fruits of your labour,” the vampire conceded, throwing Ethan a wink as he moved over to the chair opposite his, pulling it out and settling down.

Ethan took the opportunity to breathe deeply, trying to will away his apparently permanent blush, and he poured both of them a glass of wine, then sat down too.

“So, what do we have here?” Mark asked as he appraised the bowl in front of him.

“ _ This _ ,” Ethan said proudly, “Is Ethan’s speciality - we have some pasta mixed in with a three cheese blend, jalapeños, bacon, cauliflower and mushrooms. I only make this on  _ special _ occasions.” He threw an overly exaggerated wink over to Mark who snorted, rubbing his chin as he surveyed the food before him.

“So it’s mac and cheese,” Mark stated, looking like he was trying to stop himself from laughing as he glanced up at him. Ethan huffed petulantly, pursing his lips and shooting Mark a glare.

“Lesser men might call it that, but you’re not a lesser man, right? Or am I mistaken?” He quirked an eyebrow up challengingly, sliding a finger slowly around the rim of his wine glass. Mark blinked once, then offered a charming smile and pressed a hand to his chest as he bowed his head.

“No, I think you’ll find  _ I’m  _ mistaken. How could I have been so silly? This is truly an original recipe that you’ve crafted into a culinary masterpiece, a very feast for the eyes, nose and soon, the mouth. I’m truly honoured to have been served such a special meal.” As he’d spoken all of those flowery, over the top words, his voice had taken on the intones of a British Lord, accentuating all of his t’s and rolling every other syllable off his tongue. He had a knack for voices and Ethan admired the skill, wondering if he ever used it in his videos.

“Quite right.” Ethan grinned and he lifted his glass of wine towards Mark. “Shall we toast?”

“Hmm, yes I think we should.” Mark smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, and he lifted his own wine glass. After a pause of a few moments, one corner of his mouth quirked upwards as his eyes seemed to shine. “To an evening of fun.”

Ethan licked his lips before clinking his glass against Mark’s and echoing his words, “To an evening of fun!”

As they both sipped at their wine, they studied each other over the rim of their glasses and Ethan felt a swirl of warmth settle into the pit of his stomach. Nothing had even happened that could be considered sexual and yet he was already starting to feel hot under the collar. What was he gonna be like when they actually had sex? Whatever he acted like, he was sure that Mark would probably enjoy it. And plus,  _ he _ wanted to enjoy himself, so he had to just let himself go for the night. No use getting worked up for nothing when he could just allow himself to be receptive to Mark’s words and actions. After a few sips he put his glass down, then picked up his fork. Only then he remembered he’d forgotten one vital thing for the meal.

“Wait!” he said suddenly, chucking down his fork and getting up, “Don’t start eating yet!”

He darted into the kitchen and grabbed something from the cupboard, then rushed back to sit in his seat. In his hand he now had the bottle of hot sauce that Mark had put on his eggs that morning, and he grinned playfully as he handed it over to the vampire.

“I thought maybe you’d wanna try this in your food. Maybe it might be a good combination?”

As Mark took the bottle from him, he watched as a smile crept up onto his lips even though he didn’t say anything for a few moments as he just stared at the bottle.

“Have you already tried it? Sorry, was it a bad idea?” he asked, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth, wondering if maybe Mark had already used hot sauce in boring mac and cheese dishes before and had a bad experience.

“No, it’s not that, just… I’m just being a sentimental idiot,” Mark explained, shaking his head with a chuckle. Finally he raised his head and looked at Ethan, his eyes softening as he smiled warmly at him. “Thanks for thinking of me. I’ve never tried it with this combo before so I’m intrigued.” With that, Ethan was relieved, and he watched as Mark took off the lid and poured some of the sauce onto the corner of his bowl, then picked up his fork and speared some of the cheesy pasta with it. As he took a bite and tested the flavour, Ethan watched his brows furrow as he no doubt tried to figure out if the combination of hot sauce with three cheeses as well as all the rest was good or not. To his relief, Mark smiled and then lifted his gaze to Ethan once more. “It’s good!” he enthused, then speared some more on his fork and held it out towards him, “Wanna try?”

“Sure thing.” Ethan leaned in and blew on the pasta, his mouth a perfect, tiny circle, and as he did so he couldn’t help but look up to meet Mark’s gaze. The vampire was watching him closely and his eyes flickered between Ethan’s eyes and lips as he leaned in further and closed his mouth around the fork. Once the food was in his mouth he deliberately let the fork slowly slide out, then licked his tongue languidly around the utensil to get any leftover sauce. Leaning back, he chewed the mouthful, humming to himself in consideration - though secretly he just wanted to make Mark squirm a little bit. As he watched him, the vampire cleared his throat and shifted in his chair as he met Ethan’s gaze. “It’s good with the hot sauce,” he agreed, swiping stray sauce off the corner of his mouth with his thumb and then sucking that off. Mark’s eyes followed every single tiny detail, his pupils blown wide, a clear sign of his keen interest.

“Well, let’s keep eating,” Mark urged, his voice a little more strained than usual. Ethan already felt incredibly proud of himself for getting that reaction out of him.

“Good idea, I’m  _ hungry _ ,” Ethan commented, picking up his fork and beginning to eat from his own bowl.

“Yeah, me too.” Ethan’s eyes flickered up to Mark at his muttered words in a scratchy voice and he knew that the vampire didn’t mean just for food. Well, same. But like he’d said, he didn’t want his cooking to go to waste. After a few moments of mostly comfortable quiet as they ate for a while, Ethan spoke up.

“So, how’s your channel coming along? Did you keep up recording in Korea?”

Mark nodded, replying after swallowing his current mouthful of food.

“It’s going well. Still kinda struggling with the scheduling since I have to edit everything myself but it’s okay. And I  _ did _ film a few things over there just to try and keep myself distracted from the urges I had to fly back home, so I’m working through editing that footage at the moment.”

“You had urges to come back?” Ethan questioned, head tipping to the side as he chewed on a mouthful of pasta and bacon.

“Oh yeah, pretty much all the time.” Mark winced as if remembering the way those urges made him feel. “I always feel a constant need to be near you, I’ll be honest. I don’t feel calm unless we’re close or I know that you won’t be far away for too long.”

“So this whole thing is no less frustrating for you than it is for me, huh?” Ethan shook his head with a wry smile, reaching for his glass to take a sip of wine.

“Well, it’s only frustrating when I’m not near you.” Mark shrugged and looked away to scoop up some more pasta, but still avoided looking at Ethan as he ate. That, along with his reply, made him curious.

“What, you’re not annoyed that you’ve been dragged into this bond thing? You’re basically stuck with me til we can find a way to get out of it.” Ethan didn’t want to beat around the bush anymore. He’d made no secret of the fact that he wasn’t comfortable with the way this bond messed with his head, so he wanted Mark to be honest with him too. He watched Mark stare into his bowl, twisting his fork around aimlessly, and Ethan could only guess that he was debating whether or not to speak his mind. When he saw the vampire’s chest and shoulders rise and fall slowly, he figured that he’d decided to tell Ethan how he truly felt.

“This is probably the last thing you want to hear right now but I promised myself to be completely honest with you from here on out, so…” He shrugged once more, finally looking up at him. “I don’t mind all of this that much.” Since Ethan didn’t offer up any response, he continued on. “I’m not gonna lie, I enjoy your company a lot, Ethan. And it’s more than just an attraction thing. I like talking to you and telling you about what’s going on in my life. And yeah it’s totally irrational because we’ve only known each other a few months and for two of those we didn’t see or speak to each other, but I like you a lot.” Seemingly done with his impromptu speech, Mark blew air into his cheeks to puff them out as he cautiously glanced at Ethan.

Only thing was, Ethan had  _ no idea _ what to say. For Mark to declare that the mating bond that had formed between them wasn’t the worst thing in the world and that he actually  _ liked _ spending all this time with him was… not expected. It’s not that Ethan didn’t like spending time with Mark too, necessarily. It was just that he hated feeling like he had no control over the situation. The fact that his body had acted of its own accord in the lead up to Mark flying to Korea still lingered at the back of his mind and worried him a fair bit. What if he ended up doing something ridiculous in order to be closer to Mark? Things were okay  _ now _ , but what happened if and when one of them was forced away from the other for a significant period of time? Would his sanity deteriorate again? In all honesty, if their situation was different he wouldn’t be against dating Mark. He was by far the most attractive guy he’d ever known and they got along well when things weren’t hyper tense around them. Plus, like he’d noticed from the past week, he was super easy to live with. He had an interesting and creative career, something that Ethan was trying to forge for himself too, and to top it all off he had a gorgeous dog - something Ethan also wanted for himself. The only thing was… he’d never considered being with a vampire romantically before because, well, it was too complicated. There were so many issues to consider if a human entered into a relationship with a vamp. Sure, some people had done it before and it went great for them, but he just wasn’t sure if he could deal with growing old and frail whilst his partner remained youthful and  _ nowhere near death. _ And that was only the beginning - just the mere thought of it all was making his head spin. Apparently he’d been thinking for way too long because he suddenly blinked back into the room as Mark waved a hand in front of Ethan’s face.

“Hey, Eth? You still with me?”

“Yeah, sorry I - did you just call me Eth?”

He watched as Mark pressed his lips into a thin line and sat back in his chair, dropping his hands to the table.

“Maybe. Sorry, I won’t do it again if you don’t like it.”

“No, I  _ do _ .” Ethan smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling as he replayed the sound of the nickname in Mark’s voice in his head. “Just didn’t expect it, that’s all.” As he watched the vampire noticeably relax and smile in return, Ethan realised he hadn’t responded to his admission that he liked him. He took a deep breath, picking up his fork again to stab some more pasta. “When you say you like me a lot…”

“I mean I’m starting to have feelings for you, to put it lightly,” Mark clarified, only holding Ethan’s gaze for a few seconds before looking away to take a long swig of wine. When he’d swallowed it, he glanced at him briefly again. “Don’t worry though, I’m not expecting you to return anything. And even in the unlikely scenario that you did, it probably wouldn’t be a good idea anyway - human and vampire relationships aren’t easy.”

Ethan was flawed once more. There were so many things to unpack from Mark’s words that he didn’t currently have the brain power to do, not with his meal almost finished and the gorgeous vampire right before him, distracting as ever. He wondered how Mark had already come to figure out that he had feelings for him… was he really that in tune with his emotions? Ethan had always struggled to pinpoint every single thing that he felt without the aid of a therapist or a friend. So there was no way he’d even be able to  _ begin _ working out if he had any feelings for Mark - his headspace was foggy enough as it was without throwing that into the mix. But he didn’t want to hurt the vampire, especially since he  _ did _ at least consider him to be a good friend. A good friend who, when words failed Ethan, might appreciate  _ actions _ that spoke  _ for _ him. Decidedly he downed the rest of his wine and pushed his bowl away - if he couldn’t verbally reciprocate Mark’s feelings, he could at the very least give him some  _ physical _ appreciation that hopefully would help heal the pain of potentially unrequited emotions.

He stood from his chair, seeing that Mark turned to watch his every move now, and moved towards him. Coming to a halt next to the vampire, he sank to his knees and placed a hand on his cheek, one of his thumbs gliding back and forth across the smooth, angled plane of Mark’s cheekbone.

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen,” he mumbled, eyes scanning over the vampire’s face, seeing his eyebrows furrow in a question. But there was nothing left to say, no words he could voice that would soothe Mark’s pain. And so, he leaned in and pressed his lips to Mark’s, just a gentle pressure at first until he felt the vampire begin to return the kiss. His eyes slid closed as he leaned up closer to him, keeping hold of his cheek as he tipped his head at an angle slightly to kiss him deeper. As their lips moved together, melding softly, exploring each other, Ethan sighed through his nose. Mark was  _ so good _ at kissing, he was by far the best kisser he’d ever experienced. It was almost as if he could read his mind and respond to what he liked or didn’t like. Mark’s hand soon came up to rest on his neck, just a simple, but heavy touch that had Ethan feeling warm to the core. After a brief moment where they parted to get some air, smiling at each other almost bashfully, their lips reconnected and Ethan found that he wanted to taste inside Mark’s mouth. So he slid his tongue against the vampire’s bottom lip and was met with his mouth opening wider to invite him in. As he flicked his tongue against Mark’s, he moved his free hand up to delve his fingers into his soft, dark hair and tug lightly in response. Heat was already bubbling in the pit of his stomach… Absent-mindedly he found himself licking at one of Mark’s fangs, feeling the long, pointed tooth and wondered what it would be like to have fangs himself.  _ Wait. _

He suddenly pulled back from the kiss, panting harshly as his mind reeled at the thoughts and images that had just appeared at the forefront of his brain. He’d been imagining himself as a vampire, wondering what sort of life it would be. It was the first time such a thought had occurred to him and it… startled him. As he stared, unseeing, into Mark’s eyes, the vampire kissed at his jaw and stroked his thumb along the pulse point at his neck.

“Does this mean you feel the same?” he murmured, and Ethan was suddenly back in the room, swallowing hard as he felt guilt settle in his heart.

“Give me some time,” Ethan whispered, his voice hoarse as he tried to fight the lump in his throat, “I’m still trying to figure out if everything I’m feeling is  _ me _ or… this bond. Please give me time…”

Mark didn’t meet his gaze for a few moments, and Ethan wondered if he’d ruined everything. Only then he finally looked him in the eyes and there was a small, sad smile on his face.

“I get it,” he said quietly, “I didn’t expect anything from you anyway, so the fact you’re considering it is more than I could’ve asked.”

“I’m sorry, Mark…” he said genuinely, “I just… don’t want to hurt you by saying I feel the same only to change my mind later. I want to do this right.”

“And I appreciate that,” the vampire said softly, his thumb moving up to Ethan’s bottom lip and then down again to slowly circle at the corner of his mouth, “So please don’t be sorry. What if… I mean, this doesn’t have to mean that in the end we make a commitment to each other or anything, but what if we tried out dating? Spend some time with each other and see what happens? And if the answer at the end is that you see me as nothing more than a friend, then that’s okay.”

Ethan thought about it, his gaze flitting from Mark’s eyes to his mouth, back and forth as his mind raced. There wasn’t any harm in trying, he didn’t have anything to lose, right? If he didn’t have feelings for Mark, then they could still be friends. And if he  _ did _ … well, they’d cross that bridge when it came to it.

“Okay,” he decided, a smile spreading across his lips as his gaze locked with Mark’s once more, “Let’s try it.”

“Perfect.” Mark grinned and he broke eye contact to look down at Ethan’s lips distractedly. “So, did this dinner count as a date, or…?”

“Mmm, I guess so, why?” Ethan asked, head tipping to one side, but he had an inkling as to the direction Mark’s thoughts were heading in.

“Well, I rather enjoyed the  _ stunning _ meal you made for us and I’d love to show you my appreciation.” Mark’s voice was slowly becoming something akin to a purr and Ethan shivered as the vampire’s lips moved back to his jaw, peppering kisses down towards his neck.

“How did you wanna do that?” Ethan asked with a small grin, his head tipping over to allow Mark more room to continue with his kisses.

“Mmm,” Mark hummed against his neck, nibbling the soft skin there lightly before he leaned up again to kiss at the corner of Ethan’s lips. “There’s something I’d really like to show you in the bedroom…”

At that, Ethan snickered with laughter and pressed a hand to his mouth. He watched Mark smirk, clearly not put off by Ethan’s amusement, and when he’d settled down from the giggles he bit his bottom lip.

“Whose bedroom? Yours or mine?”

“Whichever is closest,” Mark rumbled, finally shifting to lean in and kiss him again. This time, they weren’t slow as their lips meshed, hot and wet, as their hands grasped at each other. One hand in Mark’s hair, the other on his thigh, Ethan pressed up into the vampire, not able to get close enough to him. Meanwhile, Mark’s hand gripped at his neck just a little, not enough to close off his airway but enough to send shivers down his spine, and it only made the kiss that little more heated. Whilst he held onto his neck, Mark also slid his free hand down to Ethan’s waist and then slowly made its way around to his ass, getting a good handful before squeezing firmly. Ethan moaned into his mouth, pressing back into his hand and feeling the warmth in the pit of his belly reignite after their serious conversation moments ago. In response to his moan, Mark squeezed his backside again, earning the vampire another wanton noise. “God, you sound amazing,” he mumbled, having broken away from the kiss to mouth at Ethan’s neck, “I need to see you naked…”

“Then let’s go,” Ethan said breathlessly, his eyes fluttering at the feeling of Mark’s mouth on his neck, “before I melt right here on the floor.”

“Mmm, don’t tempt me with that image,” Mark muttered, slowly pulling away from his attack on Ethan’s neck and standing from his chair. “Up you get.” He took one of Ethan’s hands and helped him up off his knees and onto his feet. 

Ethan grinned at him and squeezed his hand, then turned and began walking them to the staircase and up to the nearest bedroom which happened to be his own - which was kind of perfect really, since his scent would be  _ especially _ strong in this room, specifically in his bed. Mark was in for a treat. As he opened the door and led them in, a heady anticipation settled in his stomach and rose to his chest like butterflies flitting about, trapped in a jar. It wasn’t bad, just… pre-sex excitement. Glancing back at the vampire whose hand he was still gripping on tight to, he saw Mark’s pupils blown wide as his nostrils flared and that had all sorts of thoughts scattering about in Ethan’s brain. Shutting the door behind him so Chica wouldn’t wander in after them, Mark took a few steps closer after Ethan stopped walking, and he finally came to a stop within a couple feet of him. As he gazed at him, those dark irises suddenly ablaze with desire and craving, Ethan was at a loss for words. Mark was  _ beautiful _ .

“I thought walking past your bedroom and getting a faint whiff of your scent every time was bad enough, but  _ this _ …” Mark inhaled deeply, slowly. “Everything in this room is just  _ you _ . Pure, unfiltered  _ you _ . It drives me crazy… and I love it.”

Ethan grinned slowly, taking a step closer to Mark and squeezing their joined hands. He lifted his free hand and laid it on the vampire’s chest, above where his heart was.

“I’d really love it if  _ you _ were driving  _ me _ crazy right now,” he murmured, his tongue flicking out between his teeth playfully, and he watched Mark’s gaze zone in on the movement, pupils dilating more if that was even possible. And he loved having Mark’s eyes on him, constantly watching and focused on him.

“Oh, I plan to,” he breathed, closing the gap between them and leaning in to press their lips together once more. Ethan immediately lifted the hand on Mark’s chest up to wind about his neck, and he disconnected his other from the vampire’s so he could lock both together at his nape. All the while, he felt Mark’s hands slide down to his hips, the touch burning through his clothes, and eventually they settled on the back of his thighs, just below his ass. Ethan shivered - that was an area of his body that was  _ extremely _ sensitive, and not many people knew that. And now another person had been added to that exclusive list, if the resulting chuckle felt against his lips was anything to go by. The kiss broke apart as Mark began lifting at his thighs, urging Ethan off the ground, and in response he wrapped his legs around the vampire’s waist. He leaned down and pressed their foreheads together, breathing each other’s air, and Mark smirked up at him. “I guess I found one of your sensitive spots, huh?”

“Congrats,” Ethan confirmed, licking his lips as they stayed in that quiet, intimate bubble for a few moments longer, “I can’t wait to find some of yours.” Absent-mindedly he twirled one of his fingers around a strand of Mark’s hair and the vampire leaned up and pressed a brief kiss to his lips.

“Keep feeling around there and you’ll find one.” He grinned as Ethan’s face lit up in realisation, and eagerly he dove back down to resume kissing the vampire. Desperately, almost, they kissed and licked at each other’s mouths, all the while Ethan experimented with Mark’s hair. He started off just twirling the strands about, but when the vampire slid his tongue into his mouth, Ethan tugged at the hair in his grip and he felt  _ and _ heard the resulting moan.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” he gasped after breaking the kiss once more, and at this point Mark’s eyes were close to being black holes, drawing Ethan in with no idea what was to become of him once he gave in. Mark turned and pushed him up against the nearest wall, and that had them pressing up against each other so that almost every possible touch point of their bodies was connected. Ethan knew that his semi was lodged in between them both now, pressing against Mark’s stomach, and from the look on the vampire’s face he was going to use that to his advantage. One corner of his lips tugged upwards as he shifted his hold on Ethan, deliberately heaving him up the wall, causing his trapped partial erection to rub up against his body. With a soft hiss, Ethan tipped his head back, and immediately Mark began decorating his neck with open-mouthed, hot kisses, every so often nipping the sensitive skin there. Shamelessly, he rolled his hips slowly, testing out the water, and was rewarded with the delightful friction of his dick rubbing against Mark’s abs. “God, why are you so  _ fucking hot _ ?” he groaned, and his mouth dropped open when he felt Mark angle them so he could rut his own dick up against Ethan’s ass.

“Good?” Mark huffed in his ear, nipping the lobe and then continuing to kiss sloppily at his neck.

“Fuck yeah.” Ethan slid one of his hands down to grab at Mark’s ass and squeeze hard, “Don’t stop.”

A moan, sounding more like a growl, rumbled in Mark’s throat and Ethan felt his dick push up into his ass again, the bulge in the vampire’s pants promising more things to come. Ethan responded in kind by rolling his hips against Mark’s stomach, earning himself little sparks of pleasure bubbling in the pit of his belly. Suddenly he was wrenched away from the wall and when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw Mark was walking them over to the bed. A thrill of delight rocketed through his body when the vampire all but threw him down onto the mattress - though not enough to cause any pain - and he pushed himself up onto his elbows as he stared up at the beautiful creature above him. They were both panting, chests rising and falling quickly, as their gazes trailed each other’s bodies from head to toe.

“I wanna see you,” Ethan breathed, “We’ve waited too long.” At that, he began unbuttoning his own shirt and watched as Mark moved onto the bed and knelt at Ethan’s feet, pulling off his denim jacket and the shirt beneath too. As Ethan threw his shirt to the floor, he caught sight of Mark’s tanned, toned chest, stomach, shoulders… everything. Licking his lips, he sat up onto his knees and reached his hands out to settle on the vampire’s shoulders. The hot skin beneath his hands was delicious, and he let his hands begin to wander down, feeling every inch of Mark that he could. As he did so, Mark leaned in and resumed kissing Ethan’s neck. At one point, he licked a hot, wet stripe from the joint of his neck and shoulder all the way up to his jaw, and it had Ethan pausing in his exploration of the vampire, goosebumps rising to his skin.

“I want  _ all _ of you,” Mark mumbled, one of his hands coming up to cup Ethan’s cheek, and he lifted his head to look at him, their gazes locking. His heart was already beating away in a frenzy, but now, with those promising words hanging in the air, there was no way it was going to be settling into a resting pattern anytime soon.

“Then  _ take _ all of me,” Ethan urged, meaning each and every word. It wasn’t the first time he’d had a man inside him, and he knew what to expect, knew how to prepare himself so it would be enjoyable. And he had everything they needed to make the experience as pleasurable as possible. “I wanna feel you inside me,” he murmured, and he felt his stomach plummet with pleasure and his dick twitch when Mark full-on growled this time.

“Off,” the vampire suddenly ordered, tugging at the leg of Ethan’s jeans, and fuck if that didn’t turn him on all the more. He knew for a fact he wasn’t into much kinky stuff but the commanding tone of Mark’s voice was  _ hot as hell _ . And so, here they both were getting out of the rest of their clothes, jeans and slacks and underwear being chucked across the room as they stared at each other as if never wanting to miss out on seeing anything. Once they were both naked, dicks hard and straining against their stomachs, Ethan was once again hit with the reality that he and Mark were gonna have sex. He was going to have a  _ vampire _ inside him. And vampires were known for their increased strength and agility, amongst other traits and behaviours. But Mark had control, he wouldn’t hurt him. Still…

“Okay, uh, I think we should have a safeword,” he suddenly announced, licking his lips, and he watched as Mark got the wrong idea, a smirk spreading across his face. “ _ Wait _ … not because I wanna try any hardcore stuff, I just mean… what if you lose control and start… going a bit too hard for a human to handle? I need something to remind you to put on human gloves. So, a safeword. How about… hummus?”

Mark’s face softened for a moment and he slid closer on his knees, taking Ethan’s hands, “Hummus is great. And you can still back out at any time, no matter what. Okay?”

“You too,” Ethan replied, smiling and leaning in to kiss him slowly. Naturally, with the state and mindset they were both in, the kiss didn’t stay slow for long. All too quickly, Ethan began licking into Mark’s mouth, and he started thrusting his tongue in and out of his mouth, every so often flicking their tongues together to simulate what would be happening between them soon. Hands grabbed hard at his backside and pulled him flush up against the vampire so their dicks pressed and rubbed together, which had him groaning into Mark’s mouth, and the vampire echoed him with a moan too. When they needed to breathe once more, they broke apart and Mark immediately slid a hand between them and wrapped it around both their erections. Ethan gasped in surprise, but it soon dissolved into a groan as Mark started slowly pumping them in his fist, their foreskins sliding and creating a delicious friction that had sparks flying behind his eyes. “Mark,” he moaned, his head tipping back and his hips bucking up into that warm, tight grip. For a little while, the both of them knelt there rocking into Mark’s hand, their panting breaths and moans the only sounds able to be heard throughout the room. Ethan had one hand buried in Mark’s hair, nails digging into his scalp, the other pressed against the mattress behind him for stability, and his brain was almost complete mush. All he knew was Mark. And pleasure.

“You’ve got lube, yeah?” The gritty, rumbled voice in his ear had Ethan coming back to Earth, and he noticed that Mark’s grip had loosened somewhat and his hand was painfully slow on their dicks. It could drive Ethan mad if that went on.

“Yeah,” he rasped, trying to manifest thoughts into his brain. Lube. Where did he keep it? As he fought against just focusing on Mark’s hand, he gazed about the room before a lightbulb flicked on in his mind. “Oh, right. Lube’s in the bottom drawer of the nightstand. Grab whichever.”

“Ooh, I have options?” Mark winked at him, then pressed a kiss to Ethan’s lips briefly, probably as an apology, as his hand moved away and he reluctantly shuffled out of their intimate bubble and over to the side of the bed. Ethan wanted to grab Mark’s hand and put it right back where it’d just been, but he also knew that if they carried on that way they’d both be done for. And he’d heard things about vampire stamina and libido, but he was just a regular mid-twenties human male that  _ needed _ breaks between orgasms. Plus, right now he  _ really _ wanted to know what it felt like having Mark cum inside him, so he’d rather leave the  _ glorious _ handjob for another time. As Mark rummaged in the drawer, clearly making his choice a tad slower than Ethan liked, he decided to have something of a show ready for Mark to turn around to. And so, he turned around so his back was to the vampire, still on his knees, and leaned forward on one hand whilst his free one reached back towards his ass. He wouldn’t be able to do much without lube, but he figured that this image would drive Mark wild. Testing the water, he started off just circling the tip of his middle finger around his hole, and in response his stomach flipped with anticipation. Just as he was about to try and insert the tip of his finger, he heard a guttural moan behind him and knew that Mark had turned around and come face to face with the sight of Ethan preparing to finger himself. Smiling in satisfaction, he moved his hand away and instead placed it in front with his other so he was almost on all fours - if he lifted up off where he was resting on the back of his calves, he would be. Within seconds, he felt heat looming at his back and it was closely followed by the feeling of a hard, leaking dick pushing up against his backside. Large, warm hands slid up his back and to his shoulders, gripping there steadily as breath began puffing against his ear.

“You are the most beautiful creature on this planet and you make me wanna  _ destroy _ you,” came the deep, baritone rumble of Mark’s voice in his ear.

Ethan shuddered at the combination of that rich voice and those  _ filthy _ words, and as he felt Mark’s hips nudge up against his backside a little harder, he let out a soft groan.

“Then destroy me, Mark. I wanna come apart. Want  _ you _ to tear me apart,” he breathed, deliberately pushing his ass back against the vampire’s dick.

“Turn around, I wanna see your face,” Mark ordered, his voice strained and rough. Ethan did no more than comply, shuffling around so he was knelt face to face with the vampire. And suddenly the air was knocked out of him because the vampire looked  _ wrecked _ \- his eyes were wild, his irises taken over by pupils black as night and his dick was a deep pink hue at the tip. “Lay on your back, I wanna prep you.”

With a nod, Ethan did just that, laying himself out on his back on the mattress and spreading his legs. He lifted his right leg and bent it at the knee to make it easier for Mark to have access in this position, and stared up at the vampire. He was simultaneously the epitome of both inhuman  _ and _ human beauty, with a face and body close to godliness yet also with the devastating beauty of human emotions and feelings. And in that moment, time seemed to slow down as Mark straddled his calves, then leaned down and caged him in his arms. With the hair not tied in the bun hanging down around his face and pure want shining in his eyes, Ethan leaned up and met him halfway in a breathtaking kiss. As their mouths moved together, no doubt a distraction from the initial burn of Mark sliding the tip of a lube-coated finger inside him, Ethan’s eyes slid shut and he saw glimmers of a potential future with Mark behind his eyelids.  _ It could be amazing. _

“Ethan? You wanna stop?”

Coming back to the real world as his eyes shot open, he saw Mark looking at him in concern. He still had a finger inside him, but he wasn’t moving and Ethan knew he wouldn’t unless he gave him the green light. Ignoring the way that made his heart squeeze, he licked his lips and shook his head, smiling sheepishly.

“No, carry on. I just got a little carried away in that kiss there.”

Mark quirked an eyebrow doubtfully, so to reassure him Ethan grabbed the bottle of lube by his hip - Mark had chosen the blue one which was apparently meant to soothe whilst also allow for “freedom of pleasure” (whatever the fuck that meant) - and began pouring it on one of his own fingers. He watched Mark’s eyes glaze over somewhat as he reached down between his legs and began probing at his hole, and that was apparently all encouragement Mark needed to carry on.

“You’re so beautiful,” the vampire praised, his eyes switching between watching their fingers move in and out of him together and Ethan’s face.

Ethan made sure to keep up a steady breathing rhythm as they opened him up, knowing that for a while there would only be a weird, burning sensation until he was stretched enough. He smiled up at Mark, sliding his free hand over to link their fingers together and squeeze.

“So are you,” he mumbled, and he really meant it. He just wished he wasn’t so shit at words. “I wanna try another finger,” he added, to which Mark nodded and let go of his hand to grab the lube again, sliding his finger out of him only to coat another one, then reapply to his original digit. As he slid the first finger back in, Ethan inhaled slowly and closed his eyes, and then exhaled shakily as the third finger was ever so slowly worked in. With two of Mark’s and one of his own digits now fully inside him, they both began sliding them in and out in sync, and as the burn began to recede and fade into the back of his mind, pleasure began making itself known. “Fuck,” he whispered, his head tipping back against the pillows as he couldn’t help but roll his hips in time with their fingers. As he focused on the feeling of the digits sliding inside him, brushing against his tight, wet walls, he shuddered and made himself look back up so he could remind himself just  _ who _ was doing this to him.

“You’re doing perfect, Eth.” Mark’s soft, velvety words curled like a coil of pleasure deep inside him and he hissed, feeling his dick ooze precum onto his stomach. And, just when he was about to suggest they try Mark’s dick now, he felt a spark of pleasure rocket through him as the vampire’s fingers rubbed against his prostate. His back arched off the bed as his head went fuzzy and he panted, his own hand losing rhythm as he tried to come back to the present moment.

“Mark, oh my g- I really need your dick in me right fucking  _ now _ ,” he breathed, sliding his finger out and wiping it on his sheets.

“Are - you’re sure?” Mark asked, and when Ethan could see clearly again he noticed he looked doubtful, “We can keep stretching.”

“I’m not shoving a watermelon up there, Mark.  _ Please _ , just  _ fuck me _ already.” Ethan wasn’t above pleading anymore. And it looked like Mark was more than ready to move on from the way he bit his bottom lip.

“Okay, okay,” the vampire murmured, and slowly he slid his fingers out of him, which had Ethan feeling open and empty. He needed Mark to fill him up right this second, or he just might very well die. He pushed himself up onto his elbows and, when the vampire reached for the lube, he managed to grab it first and grinned when Mark looked at him questioningly.

“C’mere,” he said playfully, and Mark shuffled a little closer whilst he dribbled lube on his hand, then leaned up to kiss him as his hand wrapped around the vampire’s dick. Mark groaned into his mouth as he began slowly jerking him off, but of course it was mostly to get him suitably covered in lube to make this pleasurable for both of them. When he was satisfied that his dick was coated liberally and Mark was worked up, hot under the collar, Ethan let him go and smirked. “Shall we do hands and knees first? Until we’re comfortable?”

“Fuck. Yes.” Mark sounded barely human as he ground out those words, and, well, he  _ wasn’t _ , so Ethan guessed that made sense. Within moments, he found hands grabbing at him and manoeuvring him about until he was on his hands and knees facing the headboard. He let out a shaky breath, his stomach swooping at the fact Mark had just tossed him about as if he weighed nothing, moving him into the position he wanted. The mattress dipped behind him as Mark slid closer on his knees, and then his hands were at his waist, thumbs massaging into the dimples there before he nudged Ethan’s legs apart wider with his knees. Now  _ that _ \- that was erotic. He felt Mark’s leaking dick press up against his ass and shivered, knowing that soon he’d be sliding inside him. As he rutted slowly against his backside once, his hands moved around and forwards over Ethan’s stomach and up to rub at his nipples. With a groan, Ethan arched his back and let out a heavy breath. “I can’t believe I have you spread out and wanting beneath me,” Mark muttered, and his gravelly tones skittered up Ethan’s spine, making him shudder, “I’m going to tear you apart, Eth…”

“Good,” he breathed, lowering his hips before deliberately lifting them again and rutting back against Mark’s crotch, “I want you. Need you. Please, Mark…”

“How could I ever say no to you?” In the back of his mind, Ethan wondered if those words held more depth than they did in the current situation, but now was not the time to analyse them. Mark’s hands came back to his hips and his thumbs moved to slowly part his ass cheeks. “I’m gonna count to 3, then I’m going in, okay? Remember your safeword - whenever you need it.” Ethan nodded his reply, unable to voice his thoughts, and then he felt anticipation thrum hard in the pit of his stomach as Mark’s voice stirred again. “Alright - 1… 2… 3.” One hand left him, yet his remaining fingers dug into his hips as Ethan felt the tip of the vampire’s dick guided to nudge at his entrance, carefully pushing in. He moaned, his hands fisting in the sheets beneath him as he kept breathing and took in how it felt so far. It was okay, he was fine. It’d been a while, that’s all - it was a strange feeling to try and remember when you weren’t experiencing it. After a moment, Mark spoke up once more. “Shall I keep going? Are you okay?” he breathed, voice taught clearly with the urge to just plunge right in and  _ take _ .

“Yeah, good,” Ethan mumbled, nodding once more even though he’d dropped his head between his shoulders, “Carry on. I’m okay.”

Permission granted, Mark’s dick began pushing even further inside him and he groaned at the knowledge that he had Mark  _ in _ him. Once he was a fair bit deeper, his other hand let go of his dick and came back to rest on Ethan’s hip again. His fingers dug into the dimples hard and Ethan relished the feeling, using it as a distraction from the constant stretching. After a couple more times of Mark pausing to check Ethan was okay, finally the vampire was in as far as he could get, his balls brushing against his ass. Ethan was panting softly, mind reeling because Mark’s  _ whole dick _ was inside him now. Both of them stayed still for what felt like both eternity and just a few seconds, until he raised his voice.

“I’m good,” he said, voice level despite how much he felt like he wanted to fall apart, “You can move now, Mark.”

He heard a long, deep inhale behind him and knew that the vampire was probably struggling not to just immediately start pounding away until he found his release. But, as Mark ever so slowly pulled all the way back out of him, and then pushed in once more at the same speed, Ethan knew he was in control. As he pulled out the second time, the slide was much easier going and Ethan grunted, lifting his head to look over his shoulder. Mark was a  _ vision _ . His hair was unruly, some sticking to his face from the sweat of exertion where he’d had to hold himself back this whole time. There was a light sheen covering his whole body, highlighting his toned muscles and making Ethan’s mouth water. He wanted to lick every single inch of Mark’s body one day - he wondered if he’d ever get to do so. He watched as Mark pushed back inside him, saw his dick slowly disappear from sight inside his body, and he let out a moan at just how erotic the sight was. At the sound, the vampire’s head whipped up and they caught each other’s gaze.

“Harder,” Ethan urged, flexing his fingers in the sheets and pushing his ass back against Mark’s dick.

“Fuck, Eth,” Mark groaned, his head dropping and his shoulders tensing. After a moment of him gathering himself, he pulled out at a quicker pace and then thrusted right back in again with no pause in between. They both moaned in unison, and Ethan turned his head back to face the headboard again.

Now that they’d stretched him out enough for Mark to easily slide in and out, the vampire started up a steady rhythm, his hips pumping his cock in and out of Ethan’s ass. With every thrust, Mark’s fingers dug into his hips hard and Ethan grunted, taking in the feeling of being filled up by Mark’s dick. Every so often, the vampire would crank up the speed of his rutting, and Ethan took it all, soft moans and groans being pulled from his throat, guttural and echoing the arousal firing through every nerve in his body. He reached a hand back and blindly grabbed at Mark’s thigh, clinging on for dear life as his other hand lifted up to latch onto the headboard. His touch to the vampire’s body seemed to spur him on to drive himself deeper and harder inside Ethan, and every thrust of his hips pushed Ethan just a fraction further up the mattress with its force. In between his noises of pleasure, he began uttering Mark’s name breathily like a mantra, his brain unable to focus on anything other than the vampire inside him, around him,  _ surrounding _ him.  _ Pleasuring _ him.

“ _ Fuck! _ ” he suddenly cried out as white hot pleasure shot up through his body - Mark had hit his prostate, and it drove all coherent thought from his mind. Desperately he pushed back on his dick, wanting him to find that spot again, and Mark seemed to figure out his plan because after a couple more tries he hit it again. Ethan surged forward, his back arching as pleasure rocked his entire being. “ _ Mark _ , ohmygodohmygodohmygod,” he breathed, leaning down onto his forearms and letting Mark use him for a while. The vampire, instead of just grabbing at his hips, was now pulling them  _ backwards _ each time he rocked into Ethan, making sure he took every inch of his dick every single time. Ethan took it all, his mouth hanging open as he lost himself to the noises of his pleasure. When he finally regained his thoughts, he swallowed hard and knew he wanted to be facing Mark when he came. On all fours was  _ amazing _ , but he wanted to see the look on Mark’s face when pleasure overcame him. He squeezed the vampire’s thigh and glanced back at him, and it took a few moments before Mark caught his gaze, too intent on getting them to their climax. “Stop for a sec,” he panted, and felt bad when Mark’s face immediately dropped, assuming he’d done something bad. He felt the vampire slip out of him and he hissed, already too used to the feeling of having him there. Shakily, he turned around and pushed a hand to Mark’s chest, nodding at the space he’d just occupied. “Lay down on your back,” he told him, and he saw the beginnings of understanding bleed into his face. Mark did as he was told, moving to lay down with his head on Ethan’s pillows and he watched as the vampire turned his head to inhale his scent deeply, and his dick actually twitched in response to just his smell.  _ Fuck _ , Mark really liked his scent, huh? 

“‘Kay, here goes,” he mumbled, shuffling to straddle Mark’s thighs, then he lifted himself up on his knees. With one hand he guided Mark’s dick towards his entrance whilst the other rested on one of his thighs for support and, with soft, raspy groans he slowly sank down on the vampire’s cock. Mark moaned with him the whole time, his hands flying out to settle on Ethan’s hips as if to keep him steady. When he reached the hilt, he let out a shaky breath and looked down at the vampire and felt his own dick pulse at the image of this unearthly being spread out beneath him, his dick fully sheathed inside him. It was an empowering and heady feeling. Mark looked overwhelmed, to put it lightly, and if Ethan didn’t know any better he’d say that the look in his eyes in that moment was reverent.

“Take what you need,” came the vampire’s gritty words, and he gave a nudge of his hips as if to urge Ethan to move. They both moaned in unison, and Ethan knew that they needed to come soon or else they might both explode with the need to find release in each other. Slowly he began to lift and lower himself on Mark’s dick, and his own cock bobbed every time he did. Soon enough, he was panting, his hands splayed out on Mark’s chest, and he flicked at his nipples with his thumbs as his movements sped up. Thighs flexing, he let out soft, needy grunts as he bounced in Mark’s lap, his ass cradled by the vampire’s thighs as he’d now bent both his legs at the knee to give him more support. “You look -  _ fuck _ \- so fuckin’ good up there, Eth,” the vampire groaned out, hands sliding around to massage and grab handfuls of his ass.

Ethan moaned in response, unable to utter much in the form of words now, and he moved a hand away from Mark’s chest to begin jerking off his own dick which had been neglected for far too long. Soon enough one of Mark’s hands joined his and his breath hitched, a high pitched groan tearing from his lips at the combination of their joined hands on his cock and Mark’s dick sliding in and out of his ass. “‘M not… gonna last…” He literally couldn’t get out the rest of the words, but Mark seemed to understand. Suddenly, he found himself flipped over onto his back, Mark on top of him, and he stared up at the vampire above him, glowing skin and eyes and teeth.

“Let go, Eth,” Mark whispered, leaning down to capture his pleasured sounds in a searing kiss as he resumed fucking him. Ethan’s hands scrambled for purchase, feeling around Mark’s back, shoulders, neck, hair - and settled there. He buried his fingers in the soft, dark strands and kissed him back sloppily, though with no small amount of fire. As their tongues licked at each other, Mark’s hand found Ethan’s dick again and began tugging at him urgently as his thrusts began to lose their rhythm. Ethan was dangerously close to the edge, dancing on a thin line on his tiptoes, almost losing his balance. His pleasure was building up to the point where he needed to explode, and he needed it  _ so bad _ . His moans sang of his euphoria into Mark’s mouth as he pushed down on his dick, squeezing around him deliberately to urge Mark closer too. Suddenly he broke away from the kiss but stayed mere centimetres away from Mark’s face, and they stared into each other’s eyes as they breathed the same air, panting, moaning, grunting, as they shared in the glow of pleasure.

“Wanna see you cum,” Ethan managed to murmur, just barely holding on for dear life, tugging hard at any strand of Mark’s hair he could hold. “ _ Please _ , Mark,” he breathed, “Wanna see….” He kept on squeezing his ass around his dick, knowing it would only pull him closer, and he saw Mark’s eyes flutter, eyebrows furrowing, and all of a sudden he knew just what to say. “Wanna see what I do to you,” he whispered, leaning up to brush their lips together whilst pushing down on his dick.

“Oh f -  _ Ethan _ !” Mark groaned, head tipping back as he reached his climax. Ethan watched his face the whole time, mouth hanging open in a silent scream as his eyes scrunched closed and his hips rode out the white hot waves. Ethan felt himself being filled with Mark’s cum and he bit his lip, finding it  _ really fucking hot _ . Desperately, he moved his free hand to his dick and began tugging at himself, knowing exactly the way he liked it, and after a few moments Mark’s hand moved with his too. Seemingly having regained enough brain power to remember that Ethan still had yet to orgasm, Mark moved to kiss him again, all the while his hand expertly flicked at all the right points, thumb slipping into the slit and making Ethan twitch. “Your turn,” Mark murmured knowingly after pulling back, nibbling at his jaw and tugging at his dick harder. He squeezed him every so often, as well as flicking his wrist at all the right points. “Show me just what I do to you,” he rumbled in the voice that went straight to Ethan’s dick, and that was it - he was done for.

“ _ Mark! _ ” he screamed, head tipping back as he was overcome with pleasure and lost himself to it. He was vaguely aware of Mark still tugging him through it, making the high last as long as possible, but all too soon the sensation made him twitch in his over sensitive state. The vampire seemed to get the hint and he let go of him, then also pulled out of him too. Ethan grunted, a mixture of loss and discomfort at the absence of Mark’s dick inside him, but right now his brain was far too sleepy to deal with any emotions. Eventually he cracked one eye open and saw Mark bringing in a wet cloth, kneeling beside him on the bed and wiping at their chests and stomachs to get them clean.

“ _ Sooooo _ …” Mark dragged out the word longer than it needed to be, though there was a pleased smirk on his face that had Ethan wanting to wipe the smug look away, “I’m guessing that was good?”

“As if you have to ask,” Ethan huffed out, shaking his head and chuckling as he threw an arm over his eyes, “God, I don’t think I’ll be able to walk tomorrow…”

“That’s going to be right at the top of my greatest accomplishments,” Mark said, winking at him with a grin as Ethan shot a glare from beneath his arm. “In all seriousness though, are you alright? You’re not hurting seriously anywhere?”

“Nah, ‘m good,” he mumbled, shaking his head and then holding out his arms, “If we’re clean, let’s cuddle. I’m tired.”

He heard Mark laugh softly, and there was a rustle of movement as he shuffled to lay beside Ethan and pull the duvet over them. 

“Are you sure?” he whispered, kissing Ethan’s temple, “Because I wouldn’t want you to have torn something and not know.”

“Nah, I’m okay honestly. Just the usual stretched out feeling, nothing worrying. We’ll double check in the morning too, ‘kay?”

“Hmm, okay.”

Smiling, Ethan found his arms full of hot, sweaty vampire and he giggled softly, tangling their legs together.

“We should shower together sometime,” he mumbled contemplatively.

A snort puffed right into his ear and he felt Mark’s chest vibrate with laughter.

“Take it easy, Romeo, even vampires need a few minutes,” he teased, kissing his jaw. “Anyway, you’re already half asleep so we’ll talk about it tomorrow, hmm?”

“Yeah, good idea,” he mumbled, letting out a heavy sigh and enjoying the warmth and closeness of Mark enveloping him. “Night night, Mark. Sweet dreams of me.”

There was a moment’s pause, silence filling the air, and as Ethan toed the line between the land of the awake and the land of nod, Mark’s voice rumbled through the room.

“Always of you. Goodnight, Ethan…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y’all have no idea how much I struggled not to put in “you close?” during this chapter. Like... it was a constant battle, ngl.
> 
> Lemme know what you thought! Was it just trashy RP smut? Probably! But I hope y’all enjoyed. See you in the comments/next chapter! <3


End file.
